The General Operations Force (GOF) successfully intercepted an attempt to transport undocumented migrants following the arrest of 16 individuals, including two local men, during a targeted operation on 18 March. Senior Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Radzi Hussain, commander of the GOF Southeast Brigade, confirmed that the arrests were executed by a Strike Force team from the Eighth Battalion’s Company A. The operation took place at approximately 5:30 am while personnel were conducting routine enforcement patrols in the Pengkalan Kubor area.
During the patrol in Kampung Chat, the tactical team identified two suspicious vehicles, a Perodua Alza and a Toyota Rush, parked along the roadside. Upon conducting a thorough inspection of the vehicles, officers discovered 14 undocumented migrants, consisting of 10 men and four women. None of the passengers were able to produce valid identification or travel documents, leading to their immediate detention by the border authorities.
Further investigations revealed that the two local drivers were allegedly acting as transporters for the group. It is believed that these individuals were offered a payment of RM500 per trip to ferry the migrants to their intended destinations. Interestingly, the vehicles used in the smuggling attempt were found to be rentals sourced from a company located in Pandan Indah, Selangor, with a weekly rental rate of RM500 each.
According to Ahmad Radzi, the migrants had been collected from Kampung Pulau Besar and are suspected of entering Malaysia illegally from Thailand by crossing the Golok River. Their final destination was reportedly Johor, where they were to be transported via the rented vehicles. Following the raid, all suspects and seized assets were escorted to the Tumpat district police headquarters for further legal processing and documentation.
The case is currently being investigated under Section 26J of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, as well as Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. In addition to the arrests, the GOF seized the two vehicles and 20 mobile phones, with the total value of the confiscated items estimated at RM170,000. Ahmad Radzi emphasised that the GOF remains committed to intensifying border patrols to curb cross-border criminal activities and migrant smuggling.
