Op Tiris highlights scale of leakages with seizures totalling nearly RM179mil

The domestic trade and cost of living ministry's enforcement chief said petrol, diesel and cooking oil are the most frequently diverted controlled items.

Domestic trade and cost of living ministry (enforcement) director-general Azman Adam said Op Tiris 3.0 involved 93,887 inspections nationwide, resulting in 5,269 cases and 660 arrests. (Bernama pic)

PASIR MAS:

 The value of seizures from Op Tiris 3.0, held between 2024 and January 2026, reached nearly RM179 million, highlighting the scale of leakages involving subsidised controlled goods that the domestic trade and cost of living ministry successfully curbed nationwide.

Its enforcement director-general, Azman Adam, said the figure comprised RM91.59 million in seizures recorded in 2024, RM81.69 million in 2025 and RM5.73 million last month.

He said the seizures followed integrated enforcement operations with related agencies.

Azman said Op Tiris 3.0 involved 93,887 inspections nationwide, resulting in 5,269 cases and 660 arrests.

“Although the seizure value is high, the statistics reflect the effectiveness of our enforcement strategy, with the number of cases declining by 14.2% in 2025 compared with 2024, while the value of seizures fell by 10.8%,” he told reporters after a working visit to the Rantau Panjang immigration, customs, quarantine and security complex here today.

For last month alone, 3,237 inspections were carried out, with 183 cases recorded, 39 arrests and seizures worth RM5.73 million.

Azman said the ministry has also intensified inspections at petrol stations to ensure compliance with the targeted RON95 petrol subsidies, including a ban on sales to foreign-registered vehicles and stricter controls at stations near the border.

By commodity, petrol, diesel and cooking oil remained the most frequently diverted controlled items, although cases have shown a downward trend since 2025.

“Petrol-related cases fell from 969 in 2024 to 797 in 2025, with 49 cases recorded in early 2026. Diesel cases declined from 744 to 503, while cooking oil cases dropped from 479 to 404 over the same period,” he said.

Firm action was also taken, including the revocation and suspension of wholesale and retail licences, as well as the suspension of Cooking Oil Price Stabilisation Scheme quotas for packaging companies found to be in breach of regulations.

Azman said enforcement digitalisation is also being strengthened through the use of fleet cards under the Subsidised Petrol Control System, which records transactions in real-time.

While the number of cases, seizure values and complaints have declined, he said, there remains room for improvement to more effectively curb smuggling and leakage activities. - FMT