Zoo Negara gets 8 tonnes of smuggled frozen chicken

 

Officers with Maqis showing the packets of frozen chicken seized in raids at the Thai border.

PASIR MAS (Kelantan): More than eight tonnes of contraband frozen chicken seized at the Thai border has been given to Zoo Negara as food supply to the animals there.

Saiful Yazam Alwi, director-general of the Malaysian quarantine and inspection services department, said the meat had been seized by various enforcement agencies between December and January.

He said the meat had an estimated market value of RM66,088.

The meat had been brought into Malaysia through ungazetted roads without any documents such as a valid import permit, he said.

Zoo Negara zoologist and veterinarian Dr Naim Ramli was present to receive the meat.

Saiful Yazam said the frozen chicken was still fresh and safe to be fed to the animals.

He said imports of frozen chicken without a permit is an offence. So far this year, frozen chicken weighing 16 tonnes, with a market value of RM128,960, had been seized in Kelantan.

There were 53 cases in 2020, involving a total of 176.7 tonnes of meat with a market value of RM1.4 million. - FMT