KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 — Police said they have crippled a cross-border human trafficking syndicate masterminded by a Malaysian, following the arrest of 11 syndicate members and discovery 66 victims this month.

Bukit Aman Special Branch Deputy Director II Deputy Commissioner Datuk Cheong Koon Kock said besides the ringleader, the 10 other suspects had acted as agents and transporters for the syndicates.

"Five of the agents were Malaysians, and another five were Myanmar nationals with all of them responsible for receiving and later distributing the trafficking migrants from Myanmar with Malaysia as the destination country,” he said.

Cheong said the syndicate’s network was active in Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia, with trafficked victims smuggled here via a land route through Sg Golok and then into Rantau Panjang in Kelantan.

"The syndicate’s international network was detected since April this year across Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia.

"Further investigations revealed how the syndicate is believe to possess dangerous firearms and are also involved in the illegal narcotics trade,” explained Cheong.

He said the trafficked victims, upon arriving in Malaysia, would be distributed to work mostly in the agriculture industry in states such as Penang, Kelantan, and within the Klang Valley.

Cheong later confirmed that a Malaysian shot dead by police in Puchong was part of the syndicate.

On Tuesday, a local man was shot dead after trying to run over a policeman in his Perodua Alza following a pursuit that ended in Puchong.

Selangor police chief Datuk Noor Azam Jamaludin had said the man was part of a human trafficking syndicate and that his movements were trailed from Kelantan.

"This is inline with the Special Branch’s ongoing efforts to track down and weed out human trafficking syndicates that have operations here,” Cheong added today.