Pekanbaru (Antara Bali) - Customs authorities in Riau Islands province foiled an attempt to smuggle in 11 tons of onion via a port in Bengkalis island on Wednesday, a spokesman said.
"It is strongly believed the dozens of tons of onion come from Malaysia," head of the Bengkalis customs and excise office Nur Hasan Asari said in a short message text.
Separately head of the office's customs and excise crime prevention section H. Dahwir said customs officers foiled the smuggling attempt in Sungai Liong waters on Wednesday.
"We earlier cast doubt on whether or not the onion was legal. Only yesterday we decided it was illegal because it was not covered by official documents," he said.
The onion packed in 1,170 sacks was brought from Batu Pahat, Malaysia, by MV Berkat, he said. (IGT)