KUDAT: Nine undocumented foreigners from the Philippines were apprehended by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) in the Kudat Zone during 'Ops Sejahtera' in the waters of Pulau Kalampunian here, yesterday.
In the operation conducted at 9:30 pm, all the individuals involved in the incident consisted of eight men, including the boat operator and one woman, ranging in age from 11 to 59 years.
The director of the Kudat Maritime Zone, Maritime Commander Maurice Grenville Abeyeratne stated that they received information from the intelligence unit regarding the movement of a boat from the Mangsi islands, suspected of attempting to smuggle in undocumented immigrants from the neighboring country.
He said the APMM patrol asset from the Kudat Maritime Zone, while conducting patrols in Op Sejahtera, was immediately dispatched to the location.
"At approximately 10 pm, a suspicious boat was spotted moving in the dark towards Simpang Mengayau, Kudat at a position of 0.7 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Kalampunian.
"The overloaded boat with passengers was promptly detained and inspected," he said in a media statement today.
Upon inspection, it was found that eight men, including the boat operator and one woman were onboard the boat.
"All of them did not possess any valid identification documents," he stated.
Meanwhile, he mentioned that on the same day at 5.35 pm, based on information received from Malaysian Maritime Sea Surveillance System (SWASLA) Sabah regarding suspicious movements of a boat entering the country's waters.
The boat was subsequently detained at a position of 3.05 nautical miles northeast of Tanjung Agong-Agong.
"After inspection, two Filipino men were found operating the boat. The inspection also revealed that the boat was carrying various types of live fish weighing an estimated 170 kilograms without valid permits.
"The boat, along with the individuals and the seized items, was brought to the jetty to be handed over to the investigating officer of the Kudat Maritime Zone for further investigation," he said.
He further added that the case is being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 Section 6(1)(c) and the Fisheries Act 1985.