KAPAR, March 12 — The Selangor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) has cracked down on the siphoning of subsidised controlled goods like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and one-kilogramme (kg) packets of cooking oil and seized RM200,000 worth of items in a raid at a premises in Jalan Syapadu, Rantau Panjang, on Monday (March 11).
Selangor KPDN director Mohd Zuhairi Mat Radey said the 4pm raid was carried out in collaboration with the Selangor contingent police, based on information and intelligence gathered over a month on the premises.
KPDN also arrested five locals and 10 Indonesians, aged between 20 and 30, who were believed to be employees of the premises.
"The raiding team found a pile of boxes containing cooking oil packets and empty plastic cooking oil packets that had been cut open.
"A total of 6,910 tonnes of cooking oil with an estimated value of RM18,000, 2,606 tonnes of LPG estimated to be worth RM35,000, various equipment and four lorries were seized," he said during a press conference at the premises today.
Zuhairi said their investigations have revealed that the premises, used as an illegal store, were a place to cut subsidised cooking oil packets before transferring them to tanker lorries for resale to the industry.
KPDN believes that about 4,000 packets were being diverted every day with the source of supply of the controlled goods believed to be obtained around the Klang Valley.
"We will investigate the mastermind of this activity, who is believed to be a local man, in addition to further action on the premises of the supplier of packet cooking oil.
"The case is being investigated under Section 21 of the Supply Control Act 1961 as well as the Prevention of Terrorism and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001," he said.
KPDN will continue to intensify monitoring and enforcement to ensure that no party takes advantage of diverting subsidised controlled goods.
— Bernama
