RANTAU PANJANG: A 33-year-old lorry driver was arrested with 540 ornamental plants of various types of orchids, believed to have been smuggled into the country from Thailand, yesterday.
An enforcement team from the 9th Battalion of the General Operations Force (GOF) also seized the lorry used by the man when they confiscated the plants during a roadblock at about noon in Chabang Empat Salam here.
Southeast Brigade GOF commander Datuk Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abd Hamid said the arrest and the seizure were made after the lorry driver failed to produce valid documentation for transporting the plants.
"Preliminary investigations showed the plants were smuggled from Thailand," he said.
He added that the case is being investigated under Section 5 of the Plant Quarantine Act 1976.
In a separate case, Ros Azhan said three men were detained for possession of more than 300 litres of petrol, worth around RM5,000, in Tumpat yesterday.
He said the GOF also seized three vehicles and several items, including plastic containers used to pump the fuel.
"The GOF personnel raided a store near an illegal jetty in Mek at around 7am and found three men inside.
"After checking, they discovered the petrol, the equipment, and the vehicles that had modified tanks.
"The petrol was believed to have been smuggled to Thailand.
"The three men, aged between 36 and 40, were arrested to facilitate investigations into the case," he said.