13/01/2008 (Bernama), Tumpat - The Anti- Smuggling Unit (UPP) has foiled an attempt to smuggle cooking oil in fish boxes to Thailand at the Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM)'s jetty here.

"The unit seized 85 packets of cooking oil as two men were busy packing them into boxes and loading them onto a lorry at 1.30pm yesterday," Kelantan UPP commander Mazlan Che Hamid said today.

A 28-year-old local and another man without any personal document on him were arrested when they tried to flee after realising UPP's presence. They were handed to the Customs Department.

"Upon inspection, UPP also found 100 litres of petrol kept in 10 containers which were meant to be smuggled to a neigbouring country," he said.

Meanwhile, he said UPP also seized 85 packets of cooking oil left at the Meksu Mek illegal jetty in Sungai Golok at about 3am today. It was also to be smuggled to Thailand. No arrests were made.

In Rantau Panjang, UPP confiscated 476kg of cooking oil in two separate operations yesterday.

Mazlan said in the first raid at 5am, UPP seized 374kg of cooking oil at an illegal store in Lubok Gong. No arrests were made.

In the second operation at 7.30am, UPP seized 102kg of cooking oil at the Tok Awang Belulang illegal jetty.

Several workers who were loading boxes containing the cooking oil to be smuggled, managed to escape when UPP closed in.