KOTA TINGGI – The Malaysian Armed Forces has detected the use of drone technology by syndicates in their smuggling activities.
Army chief Datuk Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan said the tactic was to avoid getting arrested by the authorities patrolling in Malaysian waters under Ops Benteng.
“Previously, smuggling syndicates would sneak in between midnight and the wee hours, but they have changed their modus operandi to avoid detection by authorities.
“Reports received from units conducting a special operation, dubbed Ops Merpati, found the syndicates using drones to track the movement of security forces,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after inspecting Ops Benteng in Malaysian waters at the Tg Sepang Tactical Headquarters in Bandar Penawar here today.
He, however, said authorities will continue to monitor the devices and have not taken any drastic action such as shooting down the ones identified by military radar.
Meanwhile, Hafizuddeain said authorities have detained 26 skippers and 1,252 migrants, and seized various smuggled goods worth RM3.7 million in operations involving 220km of Johor coastal area since May 16 last year.
He said the figure is a 200% increase compared with previous success rates before Ops Benteng was launched, involving the integrated cooperation of all agencies. – Bernama, February 23, 2021
