PETALING JAYA: The 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. “These include stricter fleet card compliance systems and rigorous audits of all petrol stations within a 50km radius of the border,” she said. In Sabah, there are 268 petrol stations, and Sarawak has 280 active stations, while Johor has 648 fuel stations. The 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. These “ghost vehicles” make multiple trips a day to border town petrol stations to stockpile subsidised fuel before slipping across the border.

Source: The Star April 13, 2026 03:49 UTC