TAWAU: Tawau Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has seized 100 nibong logs found floating at Sungai Inderasabah here yesterday.
Tawau MMEA director Captain Siva Kumar Vengadasalam said they found the logs, believed to be smuggled in from a neigbouring country, left unattended at the site during Op Sejahtera.
"Further examination found five batches each with 20 nibong logs of various sizes.
"It is believed that the modus operandi of the smugglers is to leave the logs near the estuary to avoid being detected and detained by the authorities," he said in a statement.
Siva said the seizure, worth RM15,000, would be handed over to the Sabah State Forestry Department Tawau Branch for further investigation.
Following the confiscation, the operation team had also conducted further inspections around the area to track down the owner of the logs but to no avail.
"MMEA will continue to be committed to strengthening enforcement duties to combat illegal activities in the Malaysian Maritime Zone, especially in the Eastern Waters of Sabah."
He also urged the community to channel information on criminal activities to Tawau Maritime Zone Operations Center line 089-752116 or emergency line 999.