Smugglers use luxury passenger boat to smuggle ketum leaves

KUALA PERLIS: Two local ketum leaf smugglers on a luxury passenger boat crashed the boat into a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's (MMEA) vessel in their attempt to escape at 5.8 nautical miles west of Kurung Tegar beach, here, yesterday.

Kuala Perlis Maritime Zone director, Maritime Commander Mohd Hashim Mat Zain said the suspects were handling the boat dangerously before ramming it into the MMEA enforcement boat at 6.50 am.

"The MMEA team detained the two men, aged 37 and 48 years, after the boat started taking in water due to serious damage to its prows from the impact.

"The team found 300 black plastic packages and 13 white plastic packages of what was believed to be ketum leaves weighing 3.2 tonnes and worth RM576,000," he told reporters. here, today.

He said the suspects were believed to be trying to smuggle out the ketum leaves.

Mohd Hashim said MMEA also seized three outboard motors worth RM380,000 and a fibreglass boat valued at RM180,000.

He said this was the first case of using of a high-powered luxury passenger boat by smugglers to dupe the enforcement authorities.

"From the investigation, we found that the boat was berthed at a neighbouring country and would only enter Malaysian waters to smuggle out ketum leaves.

"This case is being investigated under Section 30(3) of the Poisons Act 1952 for the misuse of ketum leaves for various purposes including importing, selling and processing," he added.

-- BERNAMA