55 Individuals, Including Datuk, Held In Illegal E-waste Processing Raids

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- Police have detained 55 individuals, including a man with the title of Datuk, on suspicions of running an illegal e-waste processing operation through simultaneous raids at seven illegal factories in several states last week.

Anti-Money Laundering Crime Investigation Division chief Datuk Muhammed Hasbullah Ali, said that various assets, including bars and blocks of e-waste metals, vehicles, machinery and factories worth over RM43 million were seized during the raids.

“The factories raided on Aug 5 had been operating since 2023 to process e-waste by conducting burning operations at night to avoid detection.

“In addition to harming environmental sustainability, this e-waste was also illegally imported from an Asian country and then processed into bars and blocks of metal to be sold abroad valued at millions of ringgit. Investigations are still ongoing as to why Malaysia was chosen as the destination for this activity,” he said at a press conference here today.

The raided factories were located in Salong, Pekan, and Bukit Ibam, Pahang; Selangor (Kuang, Rawang, and Bukit Tagar), Negeri Sembilan (Rembau and Gemencheh), and Johor (Simpang Renggam), he added.

Muhammed Hasbullah said that the illegal factories were built within palm oil plantations and forest reserves and were employing foreign workers illegally.

“The suspects arrested, aged between 30 and 50, include 10 locals who have been remanded for between five to seven days and 45 foreigners who have been remanded for 14 days, with one of them being a woman,” he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, Section 23 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, Section 32 of the National Forestry Act 1984, Section 24 of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, Section 135 of the Customs Act 1967, and Section 55B of the Immigration Act 1959/63, he said.

He also revealed that the investigation began after a member of the royal family personally informed the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) about public concerns regarding the negative impact of the e-waste processing activities in Pahang.

“From the information provided, we expanded the investigation until we successfully carried out this first phase of the raid,” he said.

-- BERNAMA