Two Boatloads Of Liquor Seized At Salar Riverbank
By Azlan Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan - An attempt to smuggle 280 bottles of white liquor worth $2,800 through the Brunei river was foiled by the Royal Brunei Marine Police yesterday.

In what was to be a routine patrol along the river, the police accidentally came across two boats at the side of the riverbank in Kg. Salar near the industrial site in Muara at around 11.40am. Four to five people were seen unloading bottles from the boat.

Insp. Rosli B. Hj Ahmad, Operation Officer of the Marine police, said three boats were involved in routine patrol yesterday from 8am to 4pm.

“Upon noticing the presence of the police, the men, believed to be from the neighbouring country, boarded a car and sped out of sight. I then ordered patrol cars to go to the site where tyre marks were noticed,” he said.

The modus operandi of the operation involved hiding the bootleg underneath fishing nets and offload the contraband goods during high tide at a quiet area hardly used by boat operators or members of the public.

“But we normally carry out routine checks at such quiet places as it is only during the high tide that smugglers try to offload contraband items,” he said.

The two boats measuring about 17 to 19 feet in length and attached with 60 horsepower engines were seized. It is believed that the white liquor costs around $10 a bottle in the local market.

This is the second smuggling attempt foiled by the Marine police so far this year with the first being detected in February involving dubious meat at Sungai Besar.

Meanwhile police personnel were seen yesterday looking for fingerprints on the seized boats.

Insp Rosli also said that among the other ploys smugglers use is to throw the contraband into the river and use a floating sponge to identify its location. The smuggler would then use GPS tracking system to trace the contraband goods.

The Marine Police from time to time carry out routine checks at Pulau Jaie-Jaie, Sungai Dua and near Pulau Chermin in the Brunei river as these places are normally used by fishermen returning from the sea and boat operators heading from Bangar to Bandar Seri Begawan and vice versa. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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