Suspicious business: Maqis seizes almost 300 kg of fish without permission to cross the border with S’pore



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GELANG PATAH: Malaysia’s Department of Inspection and Quarantine Services (Maqis) has foiled an attempt to smuggle 281 kg of grouper and mackerel to Singapore via the Second Link here.

Johor Maqis director Nur Afifah A. Rahmah said they detected the suspicious activity when a truck carrying fresh fish arrived at Sultan Abu Bakar’s Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex around 1 a.m.Friday (28 May August).

He said the undeclared fish was hidden among other fish containers that had the necessary permits.

“The checks found 56 kg of grouper and 225 kg of mackerel stored in polystyrene boxes that did not have export permits,” he said in a statement on Saturday (August 29).

The undeclared fish was worth around RM7,000, Nur Afifah said.

He added that all the fish were seized and the case was being investigated under Section 11 (2) of the Quarantine and Inspection Services Act of 2011, which is punishable under Section 11 (3) of the same Act.

He said that if convicted, the truck owner could face a fine of up to RM 100,000, a jail term of no more than six years, or both.

“Maqis will continuously monitor the import and export of agricultural shipments to ensure that the necessary permits are in place, in accordance with the law,” he said.



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