BATU PAHAT: When the seller of "gel blaster" imitation firearms in Parit Sulong learnt that his supplier in Kuala Lumpur had been raided, he tried to get his staff to transfer his "products" into a vehicle to be ferried away as he feared police action.
However, before he could do so, his shop was raided by a team from the Wildlife Crime Bureau / Special Intelligence Investigation Unit.
The man, who sold his stock through live social media sessions, claimed ignorance that selling such items was an offence.
"I only consider them to be toys and did not know that selling them was an offence," he said.
It was learnt that the seller attracted interest via live social media sessions.
The raid, conducted at about 7pm on Sunday, saw police seizing 155 imitation firearms, which were stored in a room on the upper floor of the premises.
Sources revealed the suspects were about to begin transferring the imitation firearms into a sports utility vehicle (SUV) when police conducted the raid.
The "toys", believed to have originated from East Asia, were sold for between RM70 and RM430 via social media. They were sold together with hydrogel pellets, which are used as projectiles.
Sources revealed that the seller conducted live sessions every two days to entice people into buying these fake guns.
The sellers only stopped their live sessions when they learnt about the police operations. It was believed that the sellers' main clients were from across the country.
Initial observations suggested that the premises primarily sold mobile phone accessories and electronic cigarettes, with no indication of imitation firearms being sold. Sources revealed that the premises operator started selling the items in early December following a trend in sales.
When questioned by police, the operator confessed that they were planning on moving their supply to a house of one of their staff members.
Police seized 155 imitation weapons and the SUV during the raid.
Three workers aged between 25 and 33 were also arrested to facilitate further investigations.