Report: 3 men suspected to be from PHL intercepted, detained in Sabah

Three men suspected to have come from southern Philippines were intercepted and arrested off Sabah Saturday night, a Malaysian news site reported Sunday.

Eastern Sabah Security Command forces fired warning shots when they intercepted the fast boat of the three who were suspected oil smugglers, Malaysia's New Straits Times reported.

"After detaining the three men and doing inspection, our team discovered the suspects boat were filled with 42 empty 'jerry cans.' However no weapons where found," Esscom director-general Datuk Mohammad Mentek said.

Citing initial police reports, the NST said the three were believed to be from Pulau Bangkungan Besar in the Philippines.

It said the three were reportedly heading toward Tanjung Aru, Sandakan, and believed to be engaged in oil smuggling.

The report said the Eastern Sabah security command was conducting patrols between Pulau Berhala and Tanjung Aru when it encountered the "suspicious looking boat" at 7:30 p.m.

"It ran over one of our boats causing one of our personnel to fall into the sea and sustained injuries on his right hand and at the back of his waist," Mentek said. — Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News

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