The total value of confiscated items, including a fishing vessel, is estimated at around RM16.5 million.

State maritime director Erwan Shah Soahdi said the agency had seized 21 million sticks of cigarettes valued at RM1.7 million, with tax evasion gauged at RM13.8 million, last Saturday.

“This is the largest seizure in the past five years. The case is being investigated under the Customs Act 1967, Immigration Act 1959/63, Fisheries Act 1985 and the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952,” he told a press conference at Kelantan MMEA’s headquarters today.

The seizure took place 17 nautical miles off Pengkalan Kubor in Tumpat at around 1.30pm, during a routine patrol of the Malaysia-Thailand waters, where the suspicious vessel was found to be lacking a registration number, Erwan said.

Despite the suspects’ attempt to flee towards Thai waters, MMEA’s enforcement boat managed to intercept them after 15 minutes with officers executing a forced boarding, he said.

Seven Thai nationals, aged between 21 and 47, were found on board with five of them holding questionable identification documents while two crew members had no valid documents at all.

Urine screenings showed four of the crew members tested positive for methamphetamine. They are being investigated under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, Erwan said.

He said that the vessel was found to have been modified into a cargo boat and was carrying 2,105 boxes of untaxed white cigarettes.

MMEA also suspected that the smugglers were supplying these cigarettes to northern Malaysia, with smaller boats collecting the contraband near the location where it was seized.