KUCHING: Patrol teams from the 11th Battalion Royal Malay Regiment (11 RAMD) have detained 10 persons including two locals at two locations within two hours on Saturday (Nov 14).
The First Infantry Division (FID) said the incidents occurred in Tebedu and Lubok Antu around 5.15pm and 7.50pm respectively.
In the first case (at Tebedu), a patrol team detained five Indonesians in an unoccupied house located across Taman Selera Puspa Indah close to the border.
The immigrants were seen waiting for someone to pick them up. After interrogation, the patrol team found that they worked in Bintulu and wanted to cross the border using a rat trail (jalan tikus).
All of them were taken to Tebedu police station for further action.
Shortly after around 7.50pm on the same day, a separate border patrol in Lubok Antu saw a motorcyclist going going to and from a place called Pondok John about 400 metres from the border.
“After a while, the motorcyclist was seen escorting two four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicles to the border.
“The soldiers immediately detained the two vehicles but the motorcyclist managed to flee.
“It turned out that three Indonesians and two locals including a teenage girl were smuggling goods into Indonesia via an illegal route,” the FID said.
They were transporting 15 packs of agarwood worth RM400,000, 573 liquor bottles, 143 packs of Milo, 96 egg trays, 14 cooking gas cylinders, five mobile phones, Malaysian and Indonesian currencies and agarwood carpentry tools.
The individuals, goods as well as the two 4WD vehicles estimated to be worth RM492,771.90, were seized and taken to Lubok Antu police station.
