KOTA BARU: Customs Department believes that more illegal jetties will be set up by smugglers along the Kelantan/Thai border as the Golok river continue to dry up due to the hot weather.

Customs deputy director-general (enforcement/compliance) Datuk Sazali Mohamad said so far, there were 140 illegal jetties being set up along the 106km stretch of the river.

"There is a possibility of smugglers taking advantage of the shallow Golok river to set up more illegal jetties.

"We suspect in every one km of the border, there will be an illegal jetty being set up and the situation become worsen early this month when the river began to dry up due to the extreme hot weather," he said.

Sazali was speaking to a press conference at the Hari Raya open house organised by the state Customs Department here today.

Despite the existing of many new illegal jetties, Sazali said the department with thehelp.of other agencies would continue to carry out operation to prevent smuggling activities from taking place along the border.

On another note, he said Kelantan Customs Department has seized about RM27.9 million worth of smuggled items last year.

"Illicit cigarettes topped in the list of the seizure items. The department seized about RM22 million worth of the cigarettes last year," he said.

In the first three months of this year, he said Kelantan seized about RM6.8 million worth of various types smuggled items in its series of operation statewide.

"Cloned cars from Singapore and Yamaha RXZ smuggled from Thailand topped in the list with about RM780,000 worth of the vehicles seized from January to March," he added.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/04/1041722/customs-warn-rise-illegal-jetties-along-kelantanthai-border-amid-drying