SANDAKAN: The newly-formed customs marine special team has seized frozen Pangolin meat worth about RM3.9 million.
The meat, weighing close to five tonnes (4,988 kilogrammes) was
seized from a jongkong (long boat) after a brief pursuit in the Batu
Sapi waters near Kampung Bahagia here on Wednesday.
“This is the biggest seizure of Pangolin meat by Sabah customs,”
deputy state customs director Hamzah Sundang told a press conference
here yesterday.
He said the success came on the second day of “Operasi Sempadan”
involving the special team headed by senior customs officer Winston
Julian and assisted by another senior officer Haji Saidin Jalaluddin.
The special team chased after the suspicious jongkong which was heading towards open sea at about 6.30pm on Wednesday.
After that, the long boat which was powered by two 200-horsepower engines then turned around and sped towards the shore.
The 40-feet long boat rammed into the shore after several men onboard jumped into the water to escape.
The special team managed to detain one suspect, an 18-year-old
Filipino, and later found 178 cartons containing the meat of 1,068
Pangolins on the abandoned boat.
“Preliminary investigation revealed the jongkong was transporting
the semi-processed Pangolin meat from Sandakan to the nearby Philippine
island of Taganak,” Hamzah said.
He added that they are investigating to identify those responsible
including where the Pangolin meat is from and its actual destination.
He said the Pangolin meat is worth RM 3,987,200 in the international market while the jongkong and the two outboard engines, RM 100,000. The case is being investigated under Section 135 (i) (e) of the Customs Act 1967.
Hamzah, meanwhile said they would continue to beef up operations against smuggling activities.
And, he also urged members of the public with information on such activities to inform the department.
“This is shocking,” Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk
Masidi Manjun said when contacted by News Sabah Times yesterday.
“There is something wrong with enforcement. You cannot possible attempt to smuggle out so much Pangolin meat,” he said.
Resource : New Sabah Times
