SHAH Alam police seized 1,019 cans and 392 bottles of alcoholic drinks of various brands, worth RM15,000, in a raid dubbed the “methanol operation” at two shop premises in Section 25 last night following cases of methanol poisoning which took 21 lives.

Shah Alam district police chief Baharudin Mat Taib said that in the four-hour operation which began at 9pm, two male workers at the two premises were believed to have sold alcoholic drinks illegally over the past six months.

“A local worker is being remanded until Friday while another worker, a Myanmar national, is remanded until October 2 under the Immigration Act.

“The case is being investigated under Section 135 of the Customs Act 1967 which carries a penalty of up to 10 times the amount of customs duty or a maximum jail term of three years, upon conviction,” he said in a media conference today.

Baharudin said the police seriously viewed the illegal sales of alcohol, and carried out 20 raids in efforts to curb the illicit activity from early this year until this month.

6,128 cans and 3,320 bottles of alcoholic drinks worth about RM60,000 have been seized.

He said 12 cases were prosecuted under Section 76 of the Excise Act and the Immigration Act with fines of between RM2,000 and RM4,000.

“We want to stress that police enforcement has been continuously conducted since early this year, not just because of the alcohol poisoning case. We are constantly monitoring sales of illegal alcohol in this district,” he added.   

So far, the Health Ministry has confirmed 19 deaths, with 14 people still in critical condition and another nine being warded for treatment and observation due to methanol poisoning after consuming alcoholic drinks in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. – Bernama, September 19, 2018.