Pasir mas: Marine police foiled an attempt to smuggle 114 crates of white cigarettes in a raid at Kampung Alor Mengkuang, Pasir Mas, yesterday. Region Three Marine Police Commander ACP Zulafendy Hassan reported that officers noticed a suspicious three-tonne lorry around 4 am near Chabang Empat, heading towards Kampung Ana, Tumpat. The driver disregarded orders to stop and attempted to flee.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, two cars, believed to be used by ‘tontos’, tried to obstruct the police and nearly struck an officer on a motorcycle. In response, police fired at the tyres of both the lorry and the tonto vehicles, but the suspects continued their escape attempt.

The pursuit lasted for 30 minutes before the lorry collided with a parking barrier in Pasir Mas, prompting the driver to flee on foot. Inside the lorry, police discovered 114 cartons of Zon King white cigarettes, totaling approximately 1.14 million sticks, suspected to have been smuggled from a nearby country.

Zulafendy stated that the seizure was valued at about RM2.3 million, including tax. The case is currently under investigation under the Customs Act and the Penal Code. He further encouraged the public to report border crimes by calling 09-5137726 or emailing [email protected].