A foreign passenger flying into Penang was found carrying 10kg of smoked rats from Vietnam inside their luggage recently without a valid import permit.
The attempt to smuggle the meat into our country was foiled by cooperation by the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (MAQIS) and the Customs Department at the Penang International Airport (PIA).
As shared by MAQIS on its official Facebook page, the smoked rats were believed to be worth RM1,000 and were brought by a passenger flying from Vietnam inside their luggage.
MAQIS shared,
“The items were detected with the help of the Customs Department’s scanning machine and subsequent checks by MAQIS officers at PIA.
“We found the items inside the luggage of a passenger arriving from Vietnam.”
The case is currently being investigated under Section 11(1) of the Quarantine and Inspection Services Act 2011 (Ac 728).
MAQIS stressed that it always takes serious measures with other enforcement agencies at the border in issues involving food safety, diseases control and risk of pest entry that could threaten our country’s agricultural sector.
For this particular case, rats have always been associated with infectious diseases directly or indirectly, hence why the smoked rats were confiscated.
So, what do you guys think of the incident? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: Man in China Scoops up Whole Rat in His Hotpot, Restaurant Owner Says Customer Put the Rat Into Soup
