KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — Enforcement agencies under the Home Ministry recorded a massive RM7 billion in seizures last year, with the majority linked to illegal e-waste and scrap metal operations, Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced today.
He said the enforcement operation, dubbed “Op Hazard,” continued last week under the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) and had uncovered a range of criminal activities, Free Malaysia Today reported.
“Among the items seized were bullets. We also raided factories that processed bullet waste, which was produced in the form of tin ingots,” he told a press conference, adding that investigations also revealed related offences such as the misuse of subsidised gas and immigration violations by foreign workers at these illegal factories.
Saifuddin stressed that domestic laws prohibit the importation of solid waste from abroad and that environmental authorities were also involved in the coordinated nationwide operation.
Separately, Saifuddin announced that AKPS will establish its own dedicated intelligence and surveillance unit to strengthen its border control operations.
He explained that while the agency currently relies on intelligence from other bodies like the police and armed forces, having its own unit is crucial for its effectiveness.
“If we do not establish it, we will depend entirely on intelligence... from other agencies. If we have it, we will have the opportunity to form an intelligence and surveillance unit that suits the working culture of AKPS,” he said.
Saifuddin stated that the need for such a unit was overlooked during the agency’s initial formation but is now recognised as a priority.
“I give full freedom to the director-general of AKPS to carry out recruitment... We will continue to support it because it is important,” he added.
