KOTA BHARU: Kelantan police have identified two districts in the state, namely Pasir Mas and Tumpat, as hotspots for the smuggling of fire crackers and fireworks.

       State police chief Datuk Shafien Mamat, however, said the K9 Unit and the Pengkalan Kubor Region Three Marine Police Force had been instructed to monitor the areas during the festive seasons.

       He said smuggling was more rampant during the period just before Aidilfitri as the demand for smuggled goods rose then.

       "District police chiefs in the areas have been instructed to step up enforcement operations.

       "We also believe that the price of fire crackers and fireworks will double due to difficulties in bringing them into the state following tight control by the police," he told reporters after the breaking of fast with state media practitioners at the Kelantan Police Contingent headquarters here on Wednesday (April 6).

       Commenting further, Shafien said a series of arrests along the border by the General Operations Force personnel also managed to prevent the goods from entering other districts such as Kota Bharu. - Bernama