PASIR MAS: Police have arrested two men on suspicion of smuggling rice and subsidised cooking oil worth over RM40,000 in a raid near a grocery shop in Cherang Ruku near Pasir Puteh at 2.30 pm yesterday.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Muhamad Zaki Harun said 153 rice packs of various brands worth RM22,725, 44 boxes of subsidised cooking oil worth RM1,785 along with a Proton Waja, totalling RM40,883 were seized during the raid.
“Police had observed two men acting suspiciously as they were moving boxes suspected to contain smuggled cooking oil from a Proton Waja before the raid. Police discovered the smuggled rice at the premises during the raid and the two suspects, a Thai man, in his 20s, and a local man, 30s, were arrested,” he said at a media conference at the Pasir Mas district police headquarters today.
He added that the two suspects had revealed that the cooking oil was brought from Besut, Terengganu and would be smuggled to a neighbouring country, while the rice was brought in from an illegal jetty to be sold at local markets.
“The two men, along with the rice and cooking oil have been handed over to the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) for further investigation under Section 20 of the Padi and Rice Control Act 1994 and Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961,” he added. –Bernama