Eight Malaysians Among 15 "Tekong Darat" Arrested In ATIPSOM Raids In Selangor

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- Eight Malaysian citizens are among 15 suspected “tekong darat”, or ground handlers of smuggling activities, who have been arrested by the police in raids conducted under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act in Selangor since Jan 1 this year.

General Operations Force (GOF) Central Brigade Commander SAC Hakemal Hawari said seven Indonesian “tekong darat” and 224 illegal immigrants were also arrested during the period.

“In the raids conducted on June 21 and July 22, the GOF team also seized drugs, suspected to be syabu, weighing 10.355 kilogrammes, and 3.6 kilogrammes of ecstasy pills,  as well as vehicles, with the total amount of seizure estimated to be worth RM1.5 million,” he said in a statement last night.

He said the arrests and seizures were the result of various strategic enforcement approaches targeting smuggling activities, particularly in Malaysian waters along the Selangor coast and the west coast of Johor.

According to Hakemal, a total of 288 raids were conducted during the same period across Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, and Johor.

This resulted in the arrest of 1,005 individuals and seizures worth RM1.1 billion, he said, adding that the success proved the GOF’s commitment to combating crimes that threaten the country’s security and well-being.

 “The public is urged to be the eyes and ears of the security forces, channel information regarding criminal activities to ensure that the country’s borders continue to remain free from encroachment and illegal activities,” he said

-- BERNAMA