KUCHING: The Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) has successfully brought down a smuggling syndicate with the arrest of 63 foreigners and four immigration officers in Bintulu after three months of surveillance.
An operation codenamed ‘Ops Kenyalang’ by a team of officers from Putrajaya JIM Intelligence and Special Operations Division and Sarawak JIM operation officers, was conducted around 9.45 pm on Feb 17.
JIM director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud, in a statement, said the team managed to arrest a total of 63 Indonesians consisting of 37 men and 26 women, aged between 22 and 52.
“A 38-year-old Indonesian man believed to be the syndicate leader was arrested while managing a group of foreigners at a transit house.
“Thirty foreigners were arrested at the transit house while 33 more were arrested during inspections on two buses around Bintulu.
“In the same operation, four immigration officers suspected of being involved with the syndicate, were arrested,” he said, adding that cash amounting to RM25,000 and 3 million Indonesian Rupiah were also seized.
Khairul stated that the foreigners are people who have been blacklisted in the department’s system from entering Malaysia and all of them had flight tickets to Kuala Lumpur.
The modus operandi of this syndicate is to organise the entry of foreigners who have been blacklisted with the help of immigration officers.
The syndicate manages 30 to 40 people for each entry. The immigration officers will then place a security stamp on the foreigner’s passport to ensure their safe journey to their destination.
“Foreigners who have received this security stamp will then be taken to transit houses before going to the airports and continue their journey to Peninsular Malaysia through domestic routes.
“According to preliminary investigation, the syndicate has been operating for almost eight months, which is when the country’s border gates were opened,” he said.
He stated that foreigners who want to enter Malaysia, are required to pay around RM5,000 to RM6,000 per person to the syndicate.
This syndicate is believed to make a profit of around RM80,000 a month.
All 63 foreigners were arrested on suspicion of committing an offence under the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering Malaysia illegally.
Whereas, four immigration officers and the leader of the syndicate will be investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Migrant Smuggling Act 2007.
Khairul stressed that the department will continue to track down the syndicates involved in illegal activities and strict action will be imposed on those found to be in violation of the relevant Acts.
