KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department has busted a human trafficking syndicate with the arrest of eight syndicate members, including its mastermind in a special operation around Rantau Panjang last Wednesday.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said that the operation also led to the arrest of 39 illegal immigrants - 13 male and 22 female Indonesians, two male and a female Thai nationals, and a Myanmar man, aged 20 to 58.
The syndicate was busted when an Immigration team tracked a motorcycle ferrying immigrants from a hidden gathering site to a van awaiting passengers.
"The team then acted to surround the location and detained the van and motorcycle, leading to the arrest of a Thai man, believed to be the mastermind, and five other Thai men acting as transporters," he said, adding that two local men, believed to be syndicate members, were also arrested during the raid.
He said further checks then led to the arrest of the 39 illegal immigrants.
"In all, 47 people were arrested, and 39 passports seized - 35 Indonesian passports and four Thai passports - along with two border passes, seven mobile phones, RM6,510, IDR706,000 and 11 Singapore dollars," he said in a statement today.
In addition, four Toyota Commuter vans, a Naza Ria and a Honda Wave motorcycle, believed to be used to transport illegal immigrants were seized, Zakaria added.
"RM3,000 to RM6,000 were charged for each illegal immigrant according to nationality," he added.
He said that the two local men and six Thai men are suspected to have committed offenses under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act, while the illegal immigrants have violated the Immigration Act 1959/63.
"They have been brought to the Kelantan Immigration Department for further action," he added.