348 tonnes of frozen chicken and pork seized from 12 containers at Sepanggar Port

KOTA KINABALU – The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) has seized 348 tonnes of frozen chicken and pork stored in 12 containers at Sepanggar Port, with the shipment valued at RM3.42 million.

The seizure followed the detention of 14 containers in July involving goods worth nearly RM3 million after inspections found the products were believed to have been imported from China and Hong Kong.

Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the enforcement operation was carried out under Ops Ribat Sepanggar in collaboration with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, Sabah Health Department, Sabah Veterinary Services Department and the Sabah Ports Authority.

He said the operation began on May 19 to curb the illegal entry of animal-based products into the country.

“Following Ops Ribat Sepanggar, we identified 12 containers that could not be inspected earlier because they were still within the declaration period.

“We could not take action at that time until the 30-day declaration period had expired, but no declaration was made.

“We therefore decided to inspect the remaining 12 containers on July 16 and our inspection revealed frozen meat products from China and Hong Kong,” he said at a press conference at Sepanggar Port on Friday.

Shuhaily said inspections found that 11 containers were loaded with frozen chicken, while one contained frozen pork.

“All the containers are believed to have entered the country through inaccurate declarations, involving a total weight of 348,000 kilogrammes with a trade value of RM3,422,000 and are believed to have originated from China and Hong Kong,” he said.

Following the discovery, AKPS seized the entire shipment for further investigation and action.

Shuhaily said the case was being investigated under Section 133(1) of the Customs Act 1967 for failing to make a full and accurate declaration, as well as submitting false declarations or documents relating to material matters.

He said the actual owner of the 12 containers had yet to be identified as no declaration had been made and no party had come forward to claim the goods.

According to him, AKPS was also looking into the possibility of linking the agents involved to the case before considering prosecution.

However, he said preliminary inspections indicated that the products in the 12 containers were believed to be intended for the Sabah market.

He said officers also found halal labels on some of the products, although checks raised questions over their authenticity.

“There were halal labels from Thailand and Malaysia, but as I said earlier, the question is how a Malaysian halal certificate could have been issued for products originating from China,” he said.

Shuhaily said further checks found that the vessel transporting the shipment had never stopped or docked in Thailand, despite some products carrying halal labels indicating certification by Thai authorities.

Overall, he said AKPS had detained nearly 40 containers since April, involving seizures worth almost RM6.7 million.