RANTAU PANJANG: Police here have seized 123 head of cattle, worth about RM500,000, in a two-day operation against smugglers which began on Sunday.

General Operations Force Southeast commander Abdul Rahim Jaafar said the smugglers had tried to cash in on the floods, knowing that villagers in areas along the Thai border, especially here and in Tumpat district, were preoccupied with evacuating safely to relief centres and the authorities were busy helping them.

"The rising waters of Sungai Golok near to Hari Raya Aidiladha is a windfall to the smugglers as they can triple their profits by making more trips than on normal days to bring in cattle from Thailand to sell here at twice their cost."