Bukit Aman internal security and public order department director Hazani Ghazali said the police conducted a total of 12 raids between Oct 10 and Oct 20.

He said in four of the raids the police arrested 11 locals and one Myanmar national, all aged between 20 and 48, for allegedly smuggling diesel worth over RM1.4 million.

In the remaining eight raids, the police nabbed a man and two women, all Indonesians, in connection with the smuggling of food items worth over RM14 million.

“The police also seized 54,515 boxes of various frozen foods, 144 packets of sugar (1kg each), and 880 packs of 1kg cooking oil,” he said in a statement.

Hazani added that both cases are being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961.

“All the operations conducted successfully crippled and dismantled the syndicates’ network involving the smuggling of controlled and subsidised items as well as frozen foods that have been active across the country,” he said.

According to Hazani, the raids above were part of a wider operation in which police conducted a total of 165 raids nationwide between January and October, with 392 individuals, including 64 foreigners, arrested in connection with the smuggling of controlled and subsidised goods.

The total value of smuggled goods seized in all these raids were estimated to be over RM215.6 million, he said.