PETALING JAYA: The Perlis customs department says maritime navigation beacons are now being used as transit points for cannabis trafficking near the Malaysia-Thailand maritime border.
Perlis customs director Ismail Hashim said four packages of cannabis weighing 30kg were recently found on a beacon located 1.5km off the Kuala Perlis coast, some 2km from the Malaysia-Thailand maritime border.
In a Buletin TV3 report, Ismail said this marks the first time maritime navigation beacons, which are meant to guide vessels, were being used for cross-border smuggling activities.
Ismail noted that the cannabis, worth over RM2.94 million, is believed to be destined for the Klang Valley and other markets.
The case is being investigated for drug trafficking under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which provides for the death penalty or 30 years’ imprisonment and no less than 12 strokes of the rotan.