TUMPAT: A 17-year-old youth, suspected to be part-time smuggler, was arrested after a high speed chase with enforcement personnel last night.
The suspect, a local, was travelling from Kampung Kajang Sebidang to Cabang Empat Tok Mek Ngah in the midnight incident.
General Operations Force (GOF) Seventh Battalion commanding officer Superintendent Azhari Nusi said GOF members were on patrol duty when they spotted a car leaving Kampung Kajang Sebidang.
"The GOF members then decided to go after the vehicle which led to a high speed chase. The driver then lost control of his vehicle before plunging into a drain.
"The driver, however, was unhurt and upon checking, GOF members found 750kg of smuggled rice inside the car.
"They arrested the suspect for possessing the rice worth about RM7,000," he said in a statement.
Azhari said initial investigations showed that the rice was smuggled into the state from Thailand.
"We believe the rice was to be distributed to local traders. The youth is now being held for further action," he added.