PADANG BESAR: An attempt to smuggle over RM120,000 worth of goods including dried tortoise meat out of the country was foiled by the Malaysian Border Security Agency (Aksem).
The Perlis Aksem team also seized instant coffee and other herbal products without Health Ministry approval from the 38 year-old man from Taiping, Perak who was subsequently held for investigations.
State Aksem commander Syed Basri Syed Ali said the man was flagged down at a road block at Km27 of the Kangar-Padang Besar trunk road while driving an Isuzu lorry on Monday afternoon.
He said the team ordered the man to drive the lorry to the Padang Besar Aksem Complex upon spotting suspicious boxes in the vehicle.
"Based on further inspection, we found 29 packets containing dried tortoise parts in five boxes while the other boxes contained instant coffee and herbal products without the Health Ministry approval.
"The total value of seizure is estimated at RM123,560," he said in a statement today.
The dried tortoise case is being investigated under Act 716 of the Widlife Conservation 2010 while the instant coffee and herbal products are being probed under Regulation 360B, Foods Regulations 1985 under the Food Act 1983.
Meanwhile, when contacted, the state Wildlife Department director Affendi Ibrahim said the man had been released on police bail pending a chemist report on the dried tortoise.
Translated from Harian Metro