KOTA BARU: A rice smuggling syndicate operating along the Malaysia-Thailand border, particularly in Rantau Panjang, used cranes to load smuggled rice onto trailers.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the syndicate's modus operandi came to light after a video showing the operation went viral on social media.
He said police had identified and arrested those involved in the crane-assisted smuggling operation.
"I believe the case has been resolved. The smuggling activity has not been detected over the past two or three days following our intensified enforcement efforts.
"Their operations might have gone undetected by border enforcement agencies for some time," he said.
The video allegedly shows bags of rice brought in from Thailand being loaded onto trailers using cranes, with the rice transported by boat along the Golok riverbank.
The 19-second clip, uploaded to TikTok by @prihatinkelantan, is believed to have been recorded at Jalan Kasban, Jeram Perdah, in Rantau Panjang.
Meanwhile, sources said the syndicate was believed to transport between five and six trailer loads of smuggled rice daily.
"The consignments are believed to be distributed to other parts of Malaysia, including the northern states, via Jalan Jeli," the sources said.
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