Nearly 600 vehicles near Thai border repeatedly filling up on petrol daily

BUKIT KAYU HITAM: The Kedah branch of the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry detected 580 vehicles filling fuel several times in a day at several different petrol stations near the Malaysia-Thailand border here.

Its director, Muhammad Nizam Jamaludin said his team detected these activities since Sept 25.

“A total of 19,705 vehicles were recorded (filling petrol) with 19,001 being local vehicles and 704 foreign-registered vehicles,” he said.

“Of the total number, 580 vehicles were detected refuelling more than once in the same day,” he told reporters after monitoring several petrol stations here on Wednesday (Oct 23).

He said his team is currently strengthening controls to curb the embezzlement activities of subsidised fuel.

Muhammad Nizam said his team took action by assigning officers statically and conducting audits at six petrol stations in the Kubang Pasu and Baling districts; deploying enforcement patrol units; conducting intelligence operations, and taking action based on the information obtained.

He said these approaches could identify the actual quota needs of petrol stations and information of vehicles refuelling with petrol or diesel.

According to him, the investigation found that the misappropriation of subsidised materials was also carried out by individuals or small groups using vehicles with local registration numbers.

He said modus operandi identified was that they made purchases using small drums and had vehicles with additional modified fuel tanks, and it is believed they used remote village areas away from public attention as fuel collection points.

Meanwhile, he said that in Op Tiris 3.0, conducted throughout the year, a total of 1,982 inspections had been recorded and action had been taken in 158 cases, involving total seizures exceeding RM2.9mil.

“A total of 17 investigation papers have received approval from the deputy public prosecutor to be registered in court for prosecution purposes,” he said.

“I would like to remind that strict action will be taken if anyone attempts to misuse subsidised controlled goods.”

Meanwhile in Perak, the ministry through Ops Tiris 3.0 seized 5,550 litres of diesel, without a permit, in a raid on an illegal store in Kampung Melayu Jenderata, near Hutan Melintang on Tuesday (Oct 22).

The ministry’s Perak branch director Datuk Kamalludin Ismail said a tanker lorry, four-wheel drive vehicle, skid tank unit, drum, and an electric pump were also seized, bringing the estimated value of the total confiscated items to RM280,539, in addition to detaining two local men namely the lorry driver and premises owner.

He said that during the raid at 12.18pm, his team found 50 litres of liquid suspected to be diesel in a drum and 5,500 litres of liquid suspected to be diesel in a skid tank at the premises.

“A team of ministry officers and enforcement members from the Teluk Intan branch conducted the raid following intelligence after detecting suspicious movement of a lorry entering the premises over the past week,” he said in a statement today.

“The premises owner, a 53-year-old local man, failed to submit any letter of authorisation, licence or permit to store controlled goods, which constitutes an offence under the Control of Supplies Act 1961.”- Bernama