KOTA BHARU: The 7th Battalion of the General Operations Force (GOF7) seized various brands of firecrackers and rice worth RM44,879 in two separate raids in Tumpat and Tanah Merah on Saturday (April 16)

       GOF7 commanding officer, Supt Azhari Nusi said the first raid was conducted at Kuala Jambu, in Tumpat, at 5.45 am, when , the enforcement team detected some individuals behaving suspiciously while transferring several boxes from a boat to the river bank.

       "On realising the presence of police, all the individuals fled in a boat to a neighbouring country and following inspection, the police found 1,462 boxes and 100 packets containing firecrackers, with an estimated market value of RM29,135 believed to be smuggled from Thailand,” he said in a statement on Sunday (April 17).

       He said the seizures were brought to the Kuala Jambu police station for further action and that the case is being investigated under Section 8 of the Explosives Act 1957.

       Meanwhile, in the second raid, Azhari said based on a tip-off, the GOF7 inspected a house that is believed to have been turned into a store for smuggled rice, at Kampung Lalang Pepuyu, Tanah Merah at 11.15 pm.

       "Checks on the premises found 2,461 kilogrammes of rice, 450 kg of glutinous rice and 75 kg of nasi dagang rice suspected to have been smuggled from a neighbouring country.

       "The total seizure is estimated to be worth RM15,744 and all the seized items were brought to the Lubok Setol police station,'’ he said, adding the case is being investigated under Section 20 of the Control of Padi and Rice Act 1994. - Bernama