The 22nd Battalion of the General Operations Force (GOF) in Kunak arrested 20 people and seized nearly RM3 million worth of illegal goods during a month-long enforcement operation in June.
In a statement, the battalion said a total of 16 raids were carried out based on intelligence gathered by its Intelligence Branch under Op Tiris 4.0 and Op Taring Esszone, involving C Company of the 22nd Battalion.
The operations resulted in the arrest of 19 men and one woman, comprising 12 Malaysians and eight foreign nationals. Authorities also seized goods with a combined value of RM2,962,048.
Among the items confiscated were drugs, fighting cocks, untaxed cigarettes, illegally harvested forest products, protected wildlife including pangolins, controlled goods such as gas cylinders and petrol or diesel, as well as vehicles believed to have been used in the offences.
Under Op Tiris 4.0, six cases involving alleged offences under the Supply Control Act 1961 were referred to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Semporna Branch for further investigation and action.
The remaining cases involve suspected offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63, Sabah Animal Enactment 2015, Customs Act 1967, Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 and the Sabah Forest Enactment 1968.
The battalion also acknowledged the support of several enforcement agencies, including the Semporna District Police Headquarters, KPDN Semporna, the Veterinary Services Departments of Semporna and Kunak, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department in Semporna, the Sabah Forestry Department and the Sabah Wildlife Department, which participated in the operations.
The GOF said it remains committed to enforcing the law and thanked members of the public for continuing to provide information that helps authorities combat criminal activities in the district.
