Joe Azmi (right) and his officers show some of the seized cooking oil.
MIRI (July 5): The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) enforcement unit seized 2,112kg of subsidised cooking oil during a raid here yesterday.
KPDNHEP Miri chief Joe Azmi Jamil said the operation was carried out following tip-off and two weeks of surveillance over a factory in Senadin.
“Based on reports, a collector of recycled cooking oil is operating at the factory, which is believed to be keeping a stock of subsidised cooking oil in the district.
“During the raid, the KPDNHEP enforcement team found 2,112kg of cooking oil in packets, and apprehended a man, aged 25, who was found to be placing the oil packets into the factory’s storage at the time.
“When asked for documents to validate such activity, he failed to produce any. For now, he is being detained to facilitate investigation conducted under Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961.”
Joe Azmi said initial investigation indicated that the modus operandi was to purchase cooking oil, in packets, from various companies before transferring them into barrels and repack them into tins for sale to industries around Miri,” he told reporters.
It is estimated that the value of the seized cooking oil amounts to RM5,280.
Joe Azmi also reminded individuals and companies to not take advantage of the government’s move to retain the supply of subsidised cooking oil, strictly reserved for consumers from the B40 group.