Marine Operation Force records big increase in goods seized

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KUCHING: Last year turned out to be a productive year for the state Marine Operation Force (MOF) when they recorded a significant increase in the worth of items seized by more than RM5 million as compared to 2011.

State MOF deputy commander Supt Mohd Norshah Mohd Idris told a media conference here yesterday that although the number of cases had dropped the worth of seizures, however, was up by five folds.

He said the number of cases recorded for the whole of 2011 was 195 while over the corresponding period last year it dropped to 129, a decrease by 66 cases.

In term of value, the total worth of goods they seized in 2011 was RM1.7 million against RM5.7 million for the whole of last year.

Norshah revealed that in 2011 they confiscated RM160,000 worth of goods under the Customs Act, Controlled Items Act (RM83,808) and Forestry Ordinance (RM1.4 million).

Last year, the worth of items seized under the Customs Act shot up to RM5.3 million with cases under Controlled Items Act also increased by RM111,477 to RM195,285.

On the contrary, the value of seizures under the Forestry Ordinance had dropped by RM238,000 from RM1.4 million to RM1.1 million last year compared with the corresponding year under review.

According to Norshah, the significant increase in the worth of items seized last year was mainly contributed by the seizures of contraband fags and untaxed liquors, which were trying to slip its way into the state.

Meanwhile, he said of the total 195 cases reported by the state MOF in 2011, 93 of them involved offences under Sarawak Rivers Ordinance (SRO), Merchant Shipping Ordinance (80), Immigration Act (12), Forestry Ordinance (seven), Fisheries Act and Customs Act (four each) and Controlled Items Act (two cases).

“Last year, we recorded a total of 129 cases and likewise the highest was under SRO with a total of 45 cases followed by
offences under Customs Act (32), Merchant Shipping Ordinance (28), Forestry Ordinance (10), Controlled Items Act (six), Immigration Act (three), Penal Code and Fisheries Act (two each) and the Dangerous Drugs Act (one),” he said.