Kitingan, who is agriculture, fisheries and food industry minister, said pufferfish remains legal in Sabah and is freely sold in markets despite its high toxicity, with social media posts advertising its sale in several districts.

He said the fisheries department has received news of some cases of pufferfish poisoning, including a recent incident in Kota Marudu, Daily Express reported.

Pufferfish organs and skin contain a deadly poison, tetrodotoxin, which causes breathing difficulties and death. There is no known antidote.

An elderly man in Kluang, Johor also died in November last year from pufferfish poisoning.