Rice smuggler feared drowned after jumping into Sungai Golok

A suspected rice smuggler is feared to have drowned after jumping into Sungai Golok while trying to escape Malaysian security forces, turning an attempt to move more than 1.2 metric tons of rice into a tragedy.

The incident occurred at about 3:25 p.m. near the Pok Ngoh illegal storage area in Pisau Raut, Tumpat. A team from the 8th Battalion General Operations Force intelligence branch spotted a pole-powered boat approaching the riverbank during a patrol under Op Taring Wawasan Kelantan.

Southeast Brigade General Operations Force commander Senior Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Radzi Hussain said the officers approached the boat, startling both men on board. “They both jumped into Sungai Golok and swam towards Thailand. One suspect swam to the bank, while the other man sank before disappearing from view and was feared drowned,” he said.

The officers tried to operate the boat to provide assistance, but its propeller had become caught in cloth and could not be used. A subsequent inspection found 1,178 kilograms of rice and 100 kilograms of glutinous rice believed to have been smuggled from Thailand.

Malaysian and Thai authorities are jointly searching for the missing man. The seized rice was handed to the Kelantan Rice Control and Regulatory authority for further investigation under Section 20 of the National Rice Control and Regulation Act 1994.

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They both jumped into Sungai Golok and swam towards Thailand. One suspect swam to the bank, while the other man sank before disappearing from view and was feared drowned.