KUALA PERLIS: Perlis Customs Department foiled an attempt to smuggle in 150 kilogrammes of ganja, with an estimated market value of RM650,000, on Aug 16.
Perlis Customs director, Ismail Hashim, said that the seizure was carried out on Wednesday, when officers conducted a raid on a fibre-glass boat (without a registration number), docked near the Kampung Bahagia fishing jetty, at 7.50 am.
"In an inspection of the boat, Customs officers found seven boxes wrapped in black plastic, hidden in a compartment in the boat flooring.
"We found 150 packages of compressed ganja chunks in the boxes, weighing about 150 kg," he said here today.
He added that the drugs were worth RM649,000, and could be used for 750,000 addicts; believed to be for distribution in the northern region.
A boat and an outboard engine, worth RM40,000, were also seized, he said.
Ismail also added that the case was investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
He did not rule out the possibility that smugglers used a 'tonto' service to trail the whereabouts of the authorities and tip off wrong-doers to avoid being caught.
"Our initial intelligence showed a boat had entered the country's waters, but the suspect had fled. We waited for 30 minutes but there was no sign of any suspects at the site," he said. -- Bernama