Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The Malaysian government is considering casting a massive dragnet over border-town fuel stations by enforcing mandatory audits on all fuel retailers located within a 50km radius of the national border.
The proposed move is part of a strategic policy shift being weighed by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) to choke the supply lines of cross-border fuel smuggling syndicates.
Deputy KPDN Minister Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh said the government is currently reviewing existing policies to further restrict fuel purchases in high-risk zones, acknowledging that current limits have not completely stopped the leakages.
While fuel purchase limits in border areas are already in place, further tightening measures are being considered, she stressed.
These include stricter fleet card compliance systems and rigorous audits of all petrol stations within a 50km radius of the border, she said, noting that the 50km audit zone would encompass hundreds of fuel stations across northern peninsula states like Kelantan, Perlis and Kedah, as well as border towns in Sabah and Sarawak.
The Malaysian cabinet had recently approved a proposal for police officers to be deployed at petrol stations near border areas to strengthen enforcement against fuel leakages and smuggling.
Fuziah warned that the ministry will continue to show “zero tolerance” toward any petrol station operator found colluding with syndicates.
Such actions not only violate the law but constitute a betrayal of Malaysians by misappropriating fuel subsidies worth billions of ringgit intended for eligible citizens, she said.
According to the official, her ministry is now actively going after the syndicate masterminds by invoking the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA, with focus extending beyond fuel seizures. Efforts are now directed at dismantling syndicate networks at their core, including freezing assets and tracking financial flows under AMLA to prevent syndicates from re-emerging under different identities.
Calling local communities the nation’s “first line of defence”, she urged residents in border towns to report suspicious activities and refuse to let syndicates operate in their backyards, through communication channels, including social media, hotlines, online portals and the ministry’s service applications./.
