MARANG, Terengganu: A total of 42,894 inspections were conducted under ‘Ops Tiris 4.0’ (Integrated), which began on March 16 this year until Saturday (May 9), resulting in 556 cases involving controlled goods such as diesel, petrol and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Enforcement’s Director-General, Datuk Azman Adam, said 161 individuals had been arrested, while the total value of seizures was estimated at RM23.17 million.
Of the total cases recorded, diesel-related offences accounted for the highest number at 249 cases, followed by petrol with 119 cases.
“Overall, Sarawak recorded the highest number of diesel-related cases, followed by Sabah and Johor. For petrol-related offences, Kelantan recorded the most cases, followed by Sabah.
“Meanwhile, Sabah also recorded the highest number of LPG-related cases, followed by Kedah. This shows that Sabah remains among the states with the highest number of offences involving controlled goods,” he told reporters after the state-level 54th Enforcement Day celebration at the Terengganu KPDN today.
Azman said KPDN is strengthening cooperation with various ministries and enforcement agencies, while enhancing intelligence-sharing efforts to tackle smuggling and leakage activities more effectively.
He added that ‘Ops Tiris 4.0’ demonstrated the effectiveness of strategic inter-agency cooperation, with KPDN leading enforcement operations on land, while the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) coordinated operations at borders and in territorial waters.
Of the total 556 cases, he said, 242 cases were handed over by the various enforcement agencies out of the 556 total cases.
“The General Operations Force (GOF) recorded the highest number of cases with 132, followed by the Marine Police (PPM) with 67 cases and the PDRM with 33 cases,” he added.
Meanwhile, Azman said Terengganu KPDN continued to show encouraging performance in regulating the local market, adding that from the start of ‘Ops Tiris 4.0’ until May 9, the state enforcement team conducted 1,433 inspections, resulting in 11 cases.
“Diesel-related offences recorded the highest number of cases with four, followed by LPG with three cases, while cooking oil and sugar each recorded two cases. The operations also involved seizures worth RM211,341.10,” he said.
Azman stressed that the government would not compromise with any party involved in smuggling, misappropriation, or manipulation of controlled goods, and warned that stern action would be taken under existing laws.
He also urged the public to support the KITA GEMPUR initiative (Movement to Eradicate Manipulation and Leakage) by acting as the government’s “eyes and ears” and reporting suspicious activities involving smuggling, misappropriation and leakage of controlled goods. – BERNAMA
