PADANG BESAR: A Thai cabbie's attempt to smuggle in subsidised Malaysian petrol in a car was foiled on June 5.
The cabbie, 53, was caught trying to smuggle in 80 litres of petrol in a modified tank in his old Mercedes-Benz.
Perlis Customs Department director Ismail Hashim today said the cabbie was flagged down for inspection while passing the border checkpoint at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex.
"We asked him to open the trunk, where we found a modified tank underneath the rear passengers' seat
"He was transporting 80 litres of subsidised petrol worth RM164. This was very risky as the car could have exploded in the event of a fire."
The cabbie was arrested while his car, worth about RM30,000, was seized, said Ismail.
He said the cabbie's arrest was one of 12 smuggling attempts foiled by the department under the operation for subsidised fuel from May 27 to June 10.
"The operation was held with the cooperation of other law enforcement agencies. Eight Thais, including three women, were arrested."
Ismail said the biggest bust during the operation was the seizure of a trailer driven by a Thai man, 53, who was transporting 600 litres of Malaysian subsidised diesel worth RM1,290.
He said the fuel was stored in a modified compartment.
Ismail said the department believed a syndicate was paying the smugglers RM15 for each trip to transport the fuel to Thailand.