15,000 litres of diesel seized, four nabbed as Miri police bust illegal fuel storage at bungalow

Police raiding a house in Tanjung Lobang, Miri for alleged diesel smuggling operation on June 17, 2026.

By DayakDaily Team

MIRI, June 18: Four local men were caught red-handed in a major subsidised diesel smuggling operation at a bungalow in Tanjung Lobang, exposing a syndicate that had turned a residential property into a fuel storage hub.

Miri District Police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the suspects, aged between 42 and 52, were detained during a coordinated operation yesterday (June 17) at about noon by officers from the Sarawak Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK Sarawak) and the Miri District Police Headquarters.

“The suspects had rented the premises and used a section beside the house as a storage and collection centre for subsidised diesel,” he said in a statement today.

He added that “runners” purchased subsidised diesel from petrol stations around Miri city before transporting it to the premises, where it was then sold to the syndicate at an agreed price.

“The fuel was collected using private vehicle tanks and jerry cans before being transferred into storage tanks at the bungalow,” he said.

Storage tanks found at the premises believed to be used for storing smuggled subsidised diesel during a raid on June 17, 2026.

Further inspection uncovered about 15,000 litres of diesel, along with the seizure of a tanker lorry, an SUV, storage tanks, and various equipment used in the illegal activity, with total seizures valued at RM131,079.

The case has been handed over to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Miri branch for investigation under Section 20(1) and Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961, read together with Regulation 3(1) of the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974.

Mohd Farhan said the illegal operation had caused significant losses to the government and disrupted the supply of subsidised diesel to local consumers.

He also reminded petrol station operators in Miri not to collude with such syndicates, and urged the public to report any suspicious subsidised fuel activities to the Miri district police headquarters and KPDN Miri. — DayakDaily