KOTA KINABALU: Bukit Aman’s Wildlife Crime Bureau (WCB) along with several other enforcement agencies seized more than RM2.7mil worth of smuggled frozen chicken parts during a series of raids in Sabah’s east coast Sandakan district.

The authorities also arrested nine men, four of them foreigners, during the operation.

Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department (JKDNKA) deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Hishamuddin Tahar said with this, the authorities believe they have crippled a syndicate actively involved in the smuggling of the item in the state.

He said, after some intelligence work, the WCB together with the Sabah General Operations Force and Sandakan Veterinary Department conducted four raids in the district on Wednesday (Sept 27).

“Following the raids, we seized 9,782 boxes containing various chicken parts such as wings, breasts and thighs, all worth RM2,722,604,” he said, in a press conference in Sandakan on Thursday (Sept 28).

He added the case was being investigated under the state’s Animal Welfare Enactment 2015.

DCP Hishamuddin said, as of September this year, the WCB has conducted eight raids in Sabah and another two in neighbouring Sarawak against syndicates smuggling frozen food items.

“In the process, we seized over RM44.2mil worth of items,” he said.

Towards this end, he said the JKDNKA was committed to the war against smuggling of untaxed items as well as subsidised or controlled goods.

“Joint operations will be carried out with other enforcement agencies from time to time.

“We urge the public to cooperate with us by providing any information that would be useful to weed out such smuggling activities,” said DCP Hishamuddin.