GEORGE TOWN: The Region One Marine Police Force (MPF) seized 8.5 tons of processed nipah palm leaves (Nypa fruticans) worth RM60,000 which was smuggled in by a merchant vessel from Indonesia at Weld Quay, here on Monday.
MPF Region One acting commander Supt Dimin Awang said, acting on information and intelligence carried out, a team of MPF personnel and a patrol boat inspected a ship that was docked at the port at about 5 pm.
“The check found that the ship, with a skipper and seven Indonesian crew, have brought in the nipah palm leaves worth RM60,000, but did not have any documents to do so.
“We found 63 big boxes and 474 sacks of nipah palm leaves covered with canvas which were ready to be processed into cigarette leaves (‘rokok daun’) in a merchant vessel with the name ‘KM Rezeki Bersama’,” he told a press conference, here today.
He said the preliminary investigation found that the merchant ship was waiting for an agent to sell the nipah palm leaves before unloading the item at Weld Quay.
“The overall value of the seizure including the ship is RM350,000. The case is being investigated under Section 11(1) Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Act 2011,’’ he said. – Bernama
