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The main suspect in a subsidised cooking oil smuggling syndicate, known as "Dato John," is expected to face six charges in court on Wednesday. Kelantan's Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) director Azman Ismail told Berita Harian that the 28-year-old's remand had been extended by another three days from today.
He added that seven other individuals, including two law enforcement officers who were arrested in the same operation, were released on police bail this morning after their detention period ended.
The group was arrested during a KPDN operation carried out last Thursday in Kota Bharu and Pasir Puteh, targeting a smuggling network believed to involve enforcement officers.
During the raid, which took place at 7pm, KPDN officers seized 11,050 kilogrammes of subsidised cooking oil worth about 27,625 ringgit, along with two lorries, a four-wheel-drive vehicle and a Toyota Vellfire.
Azman said the syndicate used illegal jetties along the Golok River to move large quantities of the oil, while smaller amounts were smuggled across the border in luxury cars via the Rantau Panjang ICQS complex.
He added that the enforcement officers were allegedly tasked with escorting the vehicles through the checkpoint to ensure smooth passage across the border.
Investigations also revealed that the cooking oil was sourced from Negeri Sembilan and Selangor using permits registered under other people's names before being smuggled into Thailand for substantial profit.
Source: The Star