Perak: The Perak branch of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) seized 32,760 litres of diesel through the Ops Tiris 4.0 raid at a fishing jetty in Hutan Melintang, near Bagan Datuk, yesterday. Its director, Datuk Kamalludin Ismail, said a team of officers and members from the Teluk Intan KPDN conducted the raid at around 1.50 pm following two weeks of intelligence information related to the diversion of controlled diesel fuel at the jetty.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the inspection found that the premises in question had received a supply of subsidised diesel, meant for fishermen, amounting to 32,760 litres through a 52-tonne capacity tanker lorry. "Preliminary investigations found serious non-compliance with delivery documentation where the address on the delivery order document did not match the address on the Scheduled Controlled Goods Retail License (CSA) for diesel owned by the premises, which is also a Fishermen's Subsidised Diesel Sales Centre in Hilir Perak," he said in a statement today.
He said further checks with the Perak Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM) found that the tanker lorry in question was not listed in the approved list for transporting and carrying subsidised diesel for fishermen to Hilir Perak.
Kamalludin said his team also found evidence of manipulation in the diesel sales records to eligible fishing boats where the sales records showed transactions to nine boats but physical inspection and verification only found four boats had made oil claims and completed taking oil at the jetty on that date. He said that his team also suspects the possibility that diesel fuel will be taken out using land vehicles such as lorries or resold to unqualified boats at industrial prices or higher than market prices, with the intention of misappropriating the fishermen's diesel fuel subsidy.
"Currently, the market price of industrial diesel has exceeded RM4 per litre," he said, adding that his team is taking action against the premises owners and suppliers suspected of violating the Control of Supplies Act 1961. Kamalludin also said that 32,760 litres of diesel, a 52-tonne tanker lorry, and several other related documents were seized for further investigation with the estimated value of the seizure amounting to RM599,058, including the value of the diesel at RM149,058 and the vehicle involved valued at RM450,000.
"Two individuals have been detained to assist in the investigation, and the case is being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 and the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974," he added.