MANILA (Mabuhay) – Nine Filipinos were detained in Sabah Thursday after they were caught in an alleged attempt to smuggle fuel, a Malaysian news site reported Friday.
The nine were manning a cargo boat with fuel products when they were intercepted off the east coast of Sandakan, Malaysia’s The Star Online reported.
The nine Filipinos were described as between 24 and 45 years old. They were taken back to Sandakan and detained for further investigation.
At the time, the vessel was loaded with nine cooking gas cylinders and 17,300 liters of petrol. It was noticed by a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency patrol 10 a.m.
MMEA District 17 enforcement head Maritime Captain A. Razak Abdul Rahman said the nine crewmembers had no travel documents.
He also said they found no documents allowing the transport of the items. (MNS)