SHAH ALAM, Oct 13 — Eight packages believed to contain syabu weighing about nine kilogrammes (kg) were found by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) when 14 illegal immigrants were arrested for trying to sneak out of the country yesterday.
Selangor MMEA Operations Deputy Director Mohd Sharenliza Ghazali said the arrest was made at about 0.91 nautical miles southwest of Pantai Kelanang, Banting.
A team was sent to the scene after being informed about the presence of the suspicious boat in the Tanjung Tongkah waters.
Realising the presence of the authorities, the boat attempted to escape with a few of those onboard seen jumping into the sea and fleeing into the mangrove forest of Pantai Kelanang before the MMEA team managed to intercept it after almost a 20-minute chase, he said in a statement today.
The boat had no registration number and had 14 foreigners onboard, comprising 11 Indonesians, nine women, and three Pakistani men. All of them, aged between 27 and 50, had no valid travel documents.
The boat and the foreigners, as well as the drug packages, in two bags, were taken to the Pulau Indah Marine Police Jetty for further investigation.
Sharenliza said the foreigners were believed to have charged about RM1,700 each for the boat ride to Medan and Dumai in Indonesia.
— Bernama
