Captain Siva Kumar from the Tawau maritime authorities was quoted by Bes TawauFM on Wednesday as saying that several Indonesian citizens were under detention for attempting to enter Tawau in the Malaysian state of Sabah without possessing relevant legal documents.
Siva Kumar A/L Vengadasalam was quoted as saying that one of the detainees was a 23-year-old Indonesian male, a boat's skipper, for allegedly entering the Merotai waters of Sabah on Tuesday (Nov 19) at around 3:15 p.m. local time without proper documentation.
The suspect was under custody at the Tawau police headquarters for allegedly violating Malaysian laws, including Immigration Law No. 63 of 1959, he stated, adding that the tightened maritime security had enabled the Malaysian authorities to stop the illegal inflow of tens of Indonesians into Sabah's territory.
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On Tuesday (Nov 19), another Indonesian was also apprehended for allegedly attempting to smuggle 800 kilograms of big mud crabs from Sebatik Island of Nunukan District, North Kalimantan Province, into Tawau.
Captain Kumar stated that the 57-year-old Indonesian used a boat for transporting the smuggled mud crabs, but the Malaysian authorities could intercept the boat in the Tanjung Saima waters of Tawau on early Tuesday at around 2:35 a.m. local time.
The suspect was unable to show valid documents for transporting the mud crabs to the authorities.
Kumar confirmed the confiscation of the mud crabs, packaged in 37 boxes, and three diesel fuel cans. The average retail prices for the mud crabs in Tawau were estimated at 16 thousand Malaysian Ringgit.
According to ANTARA, the huge profits from the trade of Indonesia's marine products, including crabs and lobsters, have often prompted culprits to attempt to smuggle them into other nations.
In September 2019, for instance, the Bali provincial police had also thwarted an attempt to smuggle some 60 thousand larvae of pearl and sand lobsters to Vietnam and had arrested two suspects.
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Translator: Rusman, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
