Kedah cops cripple five migrant smuggling syndicates

ALOR SETAR: Police have crippled five migrant smuggling syndicates operating in Kedah with the arrest of 12 local and Myanmar agents through Ops Pintas from Aug 15 to Sept 7.

State police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh said 47 Myanmar migrants, aged between 15 and 50 years old, were also detained during the operation.

They were smuggled into the country through sea and land routes in the Langkawi and Kubang Pasu districts.

“While these syndicate groups are unrelated, they share a common modus operandi, which involves smuggling migrants into the country through sea and land routes. They also have connections and collaborate with syndicate agents in Yangon, Myanmar.

“These migrants have been promised job opportunities in various economic sectors in this country and are required to pay between RM5,000 and RM7,000 each to the respective syndicate agents,” he said at a press conference here Sunday (Sept 10).

Comm Fisol said the police had also met with the Kedah National Security Council (MKN) to address the issue of migrant infiltration along the national borders.

“Immediate action must be taken at the fenced land and maritime borders. Langkawi is a transit point, and when migrants land there, it’s already treated as a domestic area, allowing them to go to Kuala Kedah or Kuala Perlis without requiring any documents,” he added.

In a related development, Comm Fisol said the police had successfully thwarted diesel smuggling activities near the Kubang Pasu border in an operation from Aug 31 to Sept 8.

“The police seized around 7,950 litres of diesel worth over RM17,000, which was being smuggled to a neighbouring country. We also arrested seven Thai men and two local men, aged 21 to 50 years old,” he said.

All the seized items were handed over to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living for further action under Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961, Fisol added. – BK