Police Raid Hidden Palm Oil Depot In Lahad Datu Arrest Four

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Four men aged between 20 and 31 were arrested during the raid. - Pic courtesy of policeKUALA LUMPUR: Authorities seized an estimated 30,148 tonnes of crude palm oil (CPO) worth RM152,090 during a raid on a concealed storehouse located in a palm oil plantation in Lahad Datu, Sabah.
The total value of all items seized in the operation amounted to RM645,890.
The raid, conducted under Op Taring, was led by the Internal Security and Public Order Department at 7pm on July 15.
Department director Datuk Seri Azmi Abu Kassim said the integrated operation involved the Wildlife Crime Bureau/Special Intelligence Investigation Unit of Bukit Aman, the Lahad Datu district police and enforcement officers from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).
Four men aged between 20 and 31 were arrested during the raid.
Authorities also confiscated a truck head and tanker containing 30,000 litres of CPO; a van; three motorised oil pumps with hoses; an IBC tank containing 200 litres of CPO; a plastic tank with a capacity of 1,400 litres, filled with CPO and a 200-litre drum containing approximately 20 litres of CPO.
"The total weight of the seized CPO is estimated at 30,148 tonnes, valued at RM152,090. The overall estimated value of all seized items during the operation is RM645,890," Azmi said in a statement released tonight.
The case is being investigated by MPOB under Regulation 5(1)(b) of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (Licensing) Regulations 2005, which carries a maximum fine of RM200,000, a prison sentence of up to three years, or both, upon conviction.
Azmi added that the police also issued five summonses (POL 257) against the owners and drivers of vehicles inspected during the raid for various offences, including expired motor vehicle licences; a lack of insurance coverage and riving without a valid licence
"This operation aims to curb illegal activities involving crude palm oil that violate MPOB regulations. If left unchecked, such activities can pose threats to food security and the environment.
"Furthermore, the misappropriation of CPO impacts tax revenues and undermines the palm oil industry, which is a key contributor to Malaysia's gross domestic product (GDP)," he said. - NST

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