"We have discovered tens of sacks of garlic kept in the ship. In total, the garlic weighs an estimated three tons," Chief of the Bengkalis District Police Adjunct Senior Commissioner Ino Harianto said on Sunday night.
He said his men found the ship carrying illegal garlic which allegedly came from Malaysia on Sunday evening but they failed to find its owner.
The police foiled the smuggling attempt after receiving a tip-off from the public that the ship would unload its cargo of illegal garlic in Jangkang river which empties into Malacca Strait, he said.
"We are still looking into the case, including trying to find the owner of the ship and garlic," he said.
Coastal areas in Riau province including Dumai, Rokan Hilir and Bengkalis have been frequently used to smuggle goods.
In April 2016, the police also seized 35 tons of garlic from a ship in Liong river.
Spokesman for the Pekanbaru city customs office Tri Budi Haryanto said the garlic was smuggled from India via Malaysia.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
