THE Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has seized two Vietnamese fishing boats and detained 19 crew for poaching in Malaysian waters on Monday.

Terengganu MMEA director Maritime Captain Khairulanuar Abdul Majid said the boats were stopped by enforcement officers who were carrying out Op Kuda Laut and Naga Barat about 135 nautical miles off the Kuala Terengganu estuary.

The skippers and the crew, aged between 16 and 62 were arrested at about 10.15pm, he told a press conference in Kuala Terengganu today.

He said fishing equipment and catch weighing 900kg were also seized, adding the boats were towed to the Terengganu Maritime Jetty to facilitate investigations.

He said 30 arrests with a compound value of RM2.3 million and fines worth RM14.25 million had been recorded so far. – Bernama, December 7, 2022.