PASIR MAS: Cosmetic products smuggled from Thailand, potentially containing harmful substances, continue to be sought after by Kelantan businesswomen.
Despite the known risks, local entrepreneurs keep ordering these products, typically shipped via Sungai Golok.
General Operations Force (GOF) Southeast Brigade commander Datuk Nik Ros Azhan Nik Ab Hamid said more than five cases of cosmetics smuggling are recorded monthly.
The smugglers use the same method—delivering the goods by river and abandoning them near illegal jetties.
"In our latest operation, we seized over 700 units of smuggled products, worth RM60,000, at Pok Dik's illegal jetty," he said. No arrests were made during the raid.
The products, including soaps and whitening creams, are believed to be destined for the local market.
In a separate case, a 63-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday after authorities found 11,000 smuggled cigarettes hidden in a floor compartment in his house in Kubang Batang, near Wakaf Bharu.
The cigarettes, valued at RM11,000, were confiscated.
"We suspect the man hid the cigarettes to avoid detection by authorities," Nik Ros Azhan added.