BATU PAHAT: The Batu Pahat Zone of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) managed to foil an attempt to distribute and smuggle drugs worth RM1.95 million off the coast of Muar early today.

Johor MMEA director First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said that in the 1.30 am raid, the agency seized syabu packed in Chinese tea plastic packages weighing 39 kilogrammes (kg).

He said the seizure was made as a result of intelligence on drug smuggling activities carried out by the MMEA's intelligence division

"Our patrol boat was sent to the location and detected a suspicious fibreglass boat, which did not have a registration number, moving about 1.6 nautical miles southeast of Sungai Kesang, Muar.

"Realising the presence of our enforcement team, the suspects sped towards the nearby mangrove forest before jumping out of the boat and fleeing into the mangrove forest," he said at a media conference at the Batu Pahat Maritime Zone here today.

Nurul Hizam said that upon inspecting the boat, they found two black bags containing green Chinese tea packets.

He said each bag contained 19 packets believed to be syabu of various weights, which were brought in from a neighbouring state north of the peninsula and meant to be on its way to Indonesia.

"The fibreglass boat, powered by a Yamaha 30 horsepower engine, was confiscated and towed to the Batu Pahat Maritime Zone. The 38 packets of drugs were also seized for further investigation.

"The total value of the seized items was estimated to be worth around RM1.97mil and the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952," he said.

In another development, Nurul Hizam said the Johor MMEA also confiscated 121 kg of syabu worth RM6.05 million at four locations near Muar and one in the waters of Sungai Pulai in Tanjung Pelepas.

-- BERNAMA