KOTA BARU – A total of 249 smugglers were arrested by enforcement authorities for attempting to sneak into the country along the Malaysia-Thailand border over the past 10 months.
Kelantan police chief Shafien Mamat said the suspected smugglers comprised locals and foreigners picked up at several hotspots along the border, including in Pasir Mas, Rantau Panjang, and Tumpat.
“Those detained are believed to be runners of syndicates smuggling rice, oil and flour, but there are also those involved in the smuggling of migrants.
“They were nabbed by border enforcement agencies, including the General Operations Forces (GOF), Malaysian Border Security Agency (Aksem), the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and the Marine Police Force,” he said here today.
Last year, state authorities detained 114 smugglers.
In a related development, Shafien said about RM15.8 million worth of smuggled goods were seized between January and October this year, involving 995 cases, compared with the corresponding period last year, which saw 537 cases and the seizure of RM5.8 million in smuggled goods.
On illegal immigrants, Shafien said 1,767 foreigners were picked up by enforcement agencies along border areas in operations between January to October this year, from 3,246 people during the corresponding period last year.
Most of the illegal immigrants are from Thailand, Bangladesh and Myanmar, he said, adding that they were sneaked into the country by “tekong darat (smuggling agents)".
“We believe enforcement of the movement control order (MCO) since March, with intensified checks, especially at rat trails, is the reason for the drop in the arrest of illegal immigrants,” he said. – Bernama, December 1, 2020
