Bid to smuggle 4,000 orchids worth RM2mil thwarted near border

Bid to smuggle 4,000 orchids worth RM2mil thwarted near border

Police detain the driver of a lorry believed to be on his way to supply local orchid farmers.

The lorry and orchids seized in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan, yesterday. (GOF pic)
PETALING JAYA:
An attempt to smuggle over 4,000 orchids valued at RM2 million was thwarted by the General Operations Force (GOF) in an operation at Kampung Parit Air in Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas, Kelantan, yesterday.

GOF southeast brigade commander Nik Ros Azhan Nik Ab Hamid said officers intercepted a lorry that was being driven suspiciously at around 1pm under “Op Taring Wawasan Kelantan”, Bernama reported.

“They discovered thousands of orchids believed to be for the local market,” he said in a statement today.

Nik Ros Azhan said such plants were dangerous as they could carry pests and diseases that could threaten the country’s agricultural sector.

The 59-year-old driver, a Malaysian, suspected of acting as the courier, was arrested.

The case is being investigated under Section 5 of the Plant Quarantine Act 1976 (Act 167).

Nik Ros Azhan said the suspect and the seized items have been handed over to the police for further investigation.

Smuggling of plants from across the Thai border has been happening frequently. Last September, GOF seized more than 250 ornamental trees worth RM1.4 million in Rantau Panjang.

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