JOHOR BARU: The marine police arrested two men and seized more than 36,000 packets of contraband cigarettes worth more than RM300,000 in two separate operations in the waters off Tanjung Langsat and Pontian.
Federal Marine Police commander Datuk Abdul Aziz Yusof said the two suspects, aged 34 and 35 were arrested when Region Two marine police personnel stopped a boat in Tanjung Langsat waters. They found 9,000 contraband cigarette packets bundled inside a big black plastic bag stashed in the boat. In the second case at 1.30am today, marine police stopped a boat about 2 nautical miles off Pontian Kechil beach and seized 27,800 packets of contraband cigarettes.
“We found the contraband inside a big black plastic bag in the second boat that was inspected in Pontian waters,” he said in a press conference at the Region Two marine police base in Tampoi today. Aziz said no arrests were made in the second case as the skipper jumped into the sea and abandoned his boat and swam to a nearby mangrove forest after being chased by the marine police boat.
