Police have discovered two empty containers believed to be from a multi-million-dollar microships heist as industry experts and police on disagreed over the fate of the stolen goods.

"Definitely they have left the country, and I believe it would have been gone within six hours of the robbery," said Walter Culas, chairman of the Airfreight Forwarders Association.

Culas said the 50-million-ringgit worth of microchips stolen in the robbery in Penang, dubbed as Southeast Asia's "Silicon Valley", would possibly have been shipped to countries in East Asia.

"In usual circumstances the stolen goods will be shipped to East Asia but they could ship it anywhere where the demand is high," Culas told AFP .

"Logistics-wise that is how it is done, as there is a great demand for these items in the region where there is a shortage for microchips."

Police on Friday had found two abandoned containers believed to have been used to transport the stolen microchips. The containers were empty except for a machete casing, the Star newspaper reported on Sunday.

Director of Criminal Investigations Department, Christopher Wan Soo Kee said the police were loooking for fingerprints to assist in their investigations.

He said he was confident the shipment was still in the country.

"We are in the process of tracking down the missing microchips and we believe that the stolen consignments are still in the country," Wan said.

International syndicate?

The robbery at a cargo complex last week was carried out by 20 men armed with machetes and dressed in security uniforms who attacked workers and forced them to drink chloroform-laced liquid.

The gang escaped from the cargo complex, managed by Malaysia Airlines, after loading two trailers with microchips and computer parts that were waiting to be flown abroad.

Culas said the heist hinted of the involvement of an international syndicate.

"They know the delivery system so they can dispose it really fast," he said. "In a robbery of such a large scale like this, it is usually pre-planned by international syndicates with local connections, at least a few months in advance," he added.

"The robbery was reported 90 minutes later... that is just too late for the police to do anything," Culas said, adding that according to standard operating procedures, the management was supposed to have reported the incident within 15 minutes.

Police in Penang has arrested nine suspects in connection with the investigation.