KUALA LUMPUR: A migrant smuggling syndicate is seemingly able to bribe enforcement officers at the country's main entry points with as little as RM200.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said thousands of foreign nationals from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Nepal, among others, were easily smuggled into the country due to the lack of stringent checks by enforcement officers at entry points.
A recent MACC investigation resulted in the arrest of 37 enforcement officers suspected of involvement in the syndicate, he added.
"MACC also arrested 12 individuals, including nine men and three women aged between 20 and 50 through 'Op Pum' in the Klang Valley, Penang, and Kelantan," he said.
Yesterday, the MACC detained a key suspect believed to be involved in a syndicate bringing foreign nationals into the country through air entry points using the 'counter setting' modus operandi.
It is also believed that payments to enforcement officers for each foreign national range between RM200 and RM2,500 per person.
Based on previous reports, Bangladesh nationals were required to pay RM2,500, Myanmar (RM1,500), Pakistan (RM1,300), Yemen (RM1,000), India (RM800), Uzbekistan (RM500), China (RM350), Vietnam (RM350) and Indonesia (RM300).
Below is a detailed breakdown of the 'counter setting' syndicate:
a. Agents/syndicates promote entry packages to Malaysia through Facebook, Telegram and other social media platforms;
b. Agents will contact immigration officers via WhatsApp to arrange a suitable date for groups of foreign nationals to enter Malaysia;
c. Immigration officers will give the 'green light' if the proposed date is deemed suitable;
d. Agents/syndicates provide passport details and photos of the foreign nationals arriving via WhatsApp to the immigration officers;
e. Immigration officers share the number of a 'special counter' that the arriving foreign nationals should approach for entry clearance into Malaysia, and,
f. Once they pass through the counter, agents/syndicates transport the foreign nationals to their destinations.