ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Immigration Department has managed to bust a human trafficking syndicate with the arrest of 29 people, including two immigration officers, at the Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine Complex (CIQ) Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) Gelang Patah, here.
Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud said that the syndicate has been operating for the past five months, and has made a profit of around RM2.5mil from the trafficking activities.
"At 1.30pm on Wednesday (Oct 12), we arrested 12 women and 13 men aged between 24 and 41, from Indonesia who had been barred from entering our country, as well as two tekong who had brought the illegal immigrants via a tour bus and an MPV."
“The group entered our country through KSAB without proper documentation process from the two immigration officers that were working on the counter at that time, which is also believed to be part of this syndicate,” he said in a press conference at the location.
The tekong are aged 34 and 49 years old, while the officers involved are aged between 20 and 27, he added.
The arrest was made under "Ops Seludup Hitam" and was made by 18 officers and personnel from the Intelligence, Special Operation Department under the Immigration Department in Putrajaya.
Each immigrant paid around RM5,000 to RM6,000 for the trip, with some paying up to RM8,000, he added.
“There are four trips each month, and for five people, the syndicate will receive around RM125,000,” he said.
The case is investigated under Section 36 of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for illegally entering the country again after being deported, which carries a fine of up to RM10,000, or jail time of a maximum of five years.
It is also investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom), which provides a jail term of up to 15 years, or a fine or both, on conviction.
