The Johor Immigration Department (JIM) has dismantled two syndicates involved in exploiting the Temporary Employment Visit Pass (PLKS), supplying foreign workers illegally to the manufacturing and construction sectors through two separate operations last week.
Johor Immigration Director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said the syndicates were found to have used companies with approved foreign worker quotas, but instead of deploying the workers for registered businesses, they were sold or supplied to other employers for profit.
He said the first operation, codenamed Ops Serkap, was carried out on June 4 at a foreign worker management agency office located at Pusat Perdagangan Pandan.
During the raid, a 33-year-old Bangladeshi man was detained for overstaying in the country.
Authorities also seized 36 Bangladeshi and Indian passports along with RM5,000 in cash believed to be proceeds from the agency’s illegal activities.
The suspect is being investigated under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Section 12(1)(f) of the Passport Act 1966.
In a second operation conducted on June 9, enforcement teams raided an agency office in Taman Setia Tropika and two apartments in Taman Kempas Utama.
Two agents and four foreign workers found to have overstayed were arrested during the operation.
Authorities also confiscated 48 Bangladeshi passports, RM4,300 in cash, and impounded two vehicles believed to have been used by the syndicate.
Preliminary investigations revealed the syndicate may have supplied up to 500 foreign workers across Johor, generating an estimated RM225,000 in monthly profits.
The two agents are being investigated under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Section 12(1)(f) of the Passport Act 1966, while the four foreign workers are being investigated under Sections 6(1)(c) and 15(1)(c) of the same Act.
JIM Johor has urged the public to provide information on illegal syndicates or foreign worker-related offences to assist ongoing enforcement efforts in the state.
