Combo pic shows a GOF personnel arranging the cartons of beer that were seized in Lundu (left) and the shotgun and ammo that was seized from the suspects in Serian.
KUCHING (March 12): The General Operations Force (GOF) has recorded seizures amounting to nearly RM1.2 million during the ongoing Ops Benteng that was held between Jan 1 and March 12 this year.
GOF Sarawak Brigade commander SAC Mancha Ata in a statement today said they have recorded a total of 65 cases within the same period.
“We have also arrested a total of 107 suspects made up of 30 locals and 77 foreigners for various offences,” said Mancha adding that a total of 127 illegal immigrants (105 men and 22 women) were also ordered to return to their home country.
GOF Sarawak on March 10 also recorded one successful operation in Lundu and two in Serian.
For the first successful operation in Lundu, Mancha said a team of GOF personnel came across a suspicious lorry that was driving inside an oil palm plantation at Kampung Raso, around 5.30pm.
“The team then decided to stop the lorry for inspection which uncovered a total of 395 beer cartons of different brands,” said Mancha.
He added that the lorry driver also failed to produce any relevant tax documents for the beer that was heading towards the Malaysia-Indonesia border.
The driver, who is in his 50s, was subsequently arrested under Section 135(1)(D) of the Customs Act 1967.
The suspect together with the seized beer and lorry valued at around RM145,700 were handed over to the Lundu district police headquarters for further action.
During the second operation, GOF personnel arrested a local man in his 30’s who was allegedly transporting ten illegal immigrants in his van at Kampung Tesu Kura, Tebedu at around 8pm.
“It is believed that the local suspect is a ‘tekong’ to these illegal immigrants which consists of six men, three women and one boy. All were aged between eight and 33 years-old,” said Mancha.
The arrest were made under Section 15 of the Anti-Trafficking In Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007, Section 6(1) of the Immigration Act 1959 and under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).
All of the suspects together with the seized van were handed over to the Serian District Police headquarters for further action.
The third successful operation that was carried saw the arrest of two male suspects aged 49 and 55-years-old for allegedly being in possession of an unlicensed shotgun at Jalan Mentung – Sangai, Serian.
“The suspects were sitting inside a parked pick-up truck at a premise in the area when they were checked at 10.30pm,” said Mancha.
Besides the shotgun, GOF personnel also discovered four shotgun shells.
Both suspects also failed to produce any documents and an arms license and were arrested under Section 8(A) of the Arms Act 1960.
The seized shotgun and pellets estimated to cost RM520 were handed over to the Serian District Police headquarters for further action.
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