THE Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has thwarted an attempt to smuggle 4.8 million sticks of clove cigarettes of various brands, with a value of RM3.3 million, in the waters of Tanjung Gabang, Selangor, during an operation dubbed Ops Khas Pagar Laut on Tuesday.

Its acting director-general, Rear Admiral (M) Saiful Lizan Ibrahim, said the cigarette smuggling syndicate used a fishing boat, believed to be from Indonesia, which was detected as a result of intelligence and assistance from the Malaysian Maritime Surveillance System at about 10.20pm.

He said the fishing boat, without a registration number, was detected moving suspiciously on the Traffic Separation Scheme route to Tanjung Gabang, before fleeing after realising the presence of MMEA assets in the area.

“The five-member MMEA vessel gave chase for nearly 30 minutes, until the syndicate’s boat entered a mangrove swamp and was successfully apprehended by the team 0.05 nautical miles northwest of the Tanjung Gabang estuary.

“However, the skipper and crew members of the fishing boat jumped into the sea and escaped to the nearby mangrove swamp in the dark,” he said at a press conference.

Saiful, who is MMEA deputy director-general (logistics), said as a result of the fishing boat inspection, his team found 455 large boxes filled with clove cigarettes of various brands under a canvas, believed to have been brought in for the market in the country’s southern waters.

“We have also seized six engines in the boat used in the smuggling attempt, and the case is being investigated under the Customs Act 1967.

“The MMEA will not compromise with any criminal threats committed in the nation’s maritime areas, and will even optimise operations by patrolling the hotspots, especially during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri period,” he said.

He called on the public to be the agency’s “eyes and ears”, and to channel information to the 24-hour MERS 999 line and nearby state maritime operations centres, in the agency’s efforts to combat cross-border criminal activities.

In the meantime, he said Ops Khas Pagar Laut, conducted throughout the country’s waters to curb and fight cross-border crime during the Raya period, involved 800 officers and members as well as 45 maritime assets, including boats, ships and aircraft. – Bernama, April 13, 2023.