THE Perak Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry director Kamalludin Ismail said it has foiled an attempt to misappropriate 60,429 litres of diesel worth more than RM1.7 million in a raid in Kampung Baru Lumut, Seri Manjung near Ipoh.

He said in Ops Tiris 3.0 conducted at 12.30pm yesterday, trade enforcement officers found a tanker transferring liquid suspected to be diesel to a tug boat.

He said four men who admitted to being the lorry driver, lorry attendant, tug boat supervisor and a company agent were arrested at the scene.

“Further inspections found suspicious transactions believed to have been falsified because they differ from the records obtained from companies supplying the branded fuel.

“The ministry believes this syndicate was trying to falsify records of transactions of the diesel source to deceive the authorities through statements and documents which have been seized,” he said in a statement here today.

He said the diesel is believed to have been obtained from a subsidised source and mixed with commercial fuel, as well as collected from various sources like petrol stations and fishermen’s fuel supply.

Following an order for stock declaration and submission of documents under section 8 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961, the authorities seized an estimated 60,429 litres of liquid, believed to be diesel, from the tanker and tug boat, all worth RM1,761,287.

The case is being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 and Control of Supplies Regulations 1974. – Bernama, January 8, 2024.