BATU PAHAT: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has thwarted an attempt to smuggle more than 39kg of syabu worth RM1.95mil in Muar waters here.

       Johor MMEA director First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said the seizure was made as a result of intelligence on drug smuggling activities carried out by the MMEA intelligence division.

       The information was channelled to the Batu Pahat maritime zone.

       “At 1.30am on Tuesday (Sept 14) morning, an MMEA patrol vessel was sent to the location and detected a suspicious boat, which did not have a registration number, that was moving around 1.6 nautical miles southeast of Sungai Kesang.

       “Noticing the presence of the patrol boat, the boat sped towards the nearby mangrove forest and two male suspects jumped out of the boat and fled into the mangrove forest,” he said at a press conference at the Batu Pahat maritime headquarters.

       He added they found two black bags containing green Chinese tea packets and further inspection revealed the packets contained syabu.

       Nurul Hizam also said that the drugs were meant to be smuggled out to a neighbouring country.

       Besides the drugs, he said MMEA seized the boat and its 30 horsepower engine for further investigations.

       Nurul Hizam added the total value of the seized items was estimated to be worth around RM1.97mil and the case was being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.