BATU PAHAT: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA)’s Batu Pahat Maritime Zone team thwarted an attempt to smuggle out 40kg of syabu, worth about RM2mil, at the Parit Jawa Fishermen Jetty, in Muar, on Thursday (Dec 9) night.

       Johor MMEA director, First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria, said that the team also detained two local fishermen, aged 45 and 48.

       He said at 7pm, they spotted a Class A boat being driven in a suspicious manner, entering the jetty.

       "As a result, we detained two individuals and found a white gunny sack hidden under the boat's rudder. It contained 30 compressed blocks of crystal-like substance, believed to be syabu,” he said in a press conference at the Batu Pahat Maritime Zone’s Maritime Base, on Friday (Dec 10).

       Nurul Hizam said the two men admitted that the drugs were in the process of being transferred to other fishing boats in the waters of Parit Jawa, before being smuggled out to a neighbouring country.

       The two suspects were taken to the Batu Pahat Maritime Zone for further investigation, with the case being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

       "Apart from the syabu, also seized was a Class A fishing boat, a mobile phone and RM1,706 cash, making the total value of the seizure about RM2.03mil,” said Nurul Hizam.- Bernama