The Kedah and Perlis Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Maritime Malaysia) over the weekend arrested five Indonesian men attempting to smuggle in 230 kilogrammes of ganja valued at RM700,000 off Pulau Beras Basah, here.

Kedah and Perlis Maritime Director First Admiral Mohd Zawawi Abdullah said patrol vessels detected two boats at 11.30 pm on Saturday near Puala Beras Basah, and as soon as they were about to inspect them, they fled before a chase ensued at sea.

“Our men saw them disposing large sacks into the sea as they were fleeing, but we managed to retrieve all four of them. The suspects, two on the first boat and three more on the second onboard, were eventually caught some 20 minutes later,” he told a media conference at the agency’s headquarters at Bukit Malut, here.

He said their boats were towed to the agency’s jetty while the five suspects were made to undergo COVID-19 screenings.

“All five suspects, aged between 25 and 54, and the seized items were then handed over to the agency’s investigators,” he said.

--BERNAMA