KOTA BHARU, April 10 — Police arrested a man after they found 48 packages and 273 boxes of fireworks worth RM20,745 in his house in Kampung Bunut Payung here, last night.
General Operations Force 7th Battalion (GOF7) commanding officer Supt Azhari Nusi said they conducted a raid after receiving a tip-off about fireworks smuggling in the area at about 8pm.
He said, during the raid, a 34-year-old man was arrested for investigation after he admitted that the house belonged to him.
“He was interrogated and a check conducted by GOF7 personnel at his house led to the discovery of packages and boxes containing firecrackers.
“The fireworks were believed to have been smuggled into the country through an illegal jetty near the Malaysia-Thai border and sold around Kota Bharu, including the Wakaf Che Yeh night market,” he said in a statement today.
Azhari said the uptick in the sale of fireworks during the fasting month is due to the high demand despite numerous bans issued by the authorities due to the dangers posed by fireworks.
He also said the price of fireworks had increased two-fold because of the difficulty of smuggling in the product due to the strict control carried out by enforcement agencies along the Malaysia-Thailand border.
“All the contraband was taken to the Kota Bharu police station for further investigation under Section 8 of the Explosives Act 1957. If found guilty, a person can be sentenced to jail up to seven years or fined RM10,000 or both,” he said.
He also said the GOF7 will redouble its efforts and tighten control along the national border ahead of the festive season as demand for contraband goods is expected to rise.
“The public is also reminded not to be involved in any cross-border criminal activities,” he added.
— Bernama
