KOTA KINABALU – Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, human traffickers continue to operate, using fishing boats to press on with their illegal activities.
Maritime authorities here last night detected one such boat with 11 individuals, including five undocumented migrants, on board.
In a statement, the Sabah Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said the skipper and four local passengers were among those arrested.
The migrants comprise four men and a girl. They are aged between 9 and 61.
Sabah and Labuan MMEA director Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah said the arrests, carried out as part of the national Op Benteng to curb illegal entries into the country, are linked to a human-smuggling syndicate.
“Early checks revealed that the syndicate used a fishing boat as their mode of transportation between Kota Kinabalu and Banggi, which is at the Philippines-Malaysia border.”
The case is being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959 and Section 8(2) of the Harbour and Ports Enactment 2002. – The Vibes, August 11, 2021
