25 tonnes of suspected Thai smuggled rice seized in Kelantan

In the early hours of Tuesday night, the General Operations Force (GOF) made a significant seizure of 25 tonnes of white rice suspected to have been smuggled from Thailand near Paloh in Kelantan. The operation was carried out by the Southeast Brigade Commander's special team under Operation Taring Wawasan. The lorry stopped at 11pm and upon inspection, it was revealed that the vehicle was carrying rice suspected to be smuggled from Thailand.

The lorry driver presented two invoices to provide information about the source and destination of the rice shipment. However, discrepancies arose regarding the delivery location mentioned on the invoices, casting doubt on their authenticity.

The 38-year-old driver was subsequently arrested, and the entire lorry along with its 25,000kg cargo of rice was seized for further investigation. The estimated total value of the seized assets amounted to RM550,000. Authorities suspect that the modus operandi involved the use of fake intermediary invoices to deceive inspectors and legitimize the shipment.

Preliminary checks revealed inaccuracies in the delivery location stated on the invoices, leading investigators to suspect that the documents were being manipulated to mislead authorities about the true source and destination of the rice consignment.

Information gathered from the arrest will be utilized to trace the source of supply, individuals involved in creating the fraudulent documents, transporters, recipients, and the distribution network for the smuggled rice believed to originate from Thailand. The case will be investigated under Section 20 of the Control of Padi and Rice Act 1994.