‘Flying passport’ Immigration officers held

JOHOR BARU: During the day, they are Immigration officers manning a check-point between Johor and Singapore.

After work, they meet up in a house in Tampoi to take drugs and also conduct their “illegal business” of extending the stay of foreigners, especially women from China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

However, police officers recently got wind of their activities and raided the house.

The suspects were apprehended and dozens of passports belonging to foreign nationals, rubber stamps, drugs and a police vest were seized during the raid.

The Immigration officers, one with about more than 10 years service, have regularly been meeting at the house to “get high” on ganja and for their illegal activities.

All tested positive for drugs and have since been reassigned to desk duties.

This practice, known as paspot terbang (flying passports), is done with a small group of rogue Immigration officers stationed mainly at major entry points around the country.

It is learnt that the officers were paid between RM500 and RM1,000 for each “passport”.

A senior police officer, when contacted, confirmed that three Immi­gration officers were involved and investigations were ongoing.

It is learnt that syndicates opera­ting vice rings will collect the wo­men’s passports and pass them to Immigration officers, who would then use fake Singapore rubber stamps and their Malaysian rubber stamps to make it look like the fo­reigners had exited Malaysia to Singapore and have re-entered.

China and Vietnamese citizens are only allowed to stay for 30 days, and can exit and re-enter via Singapore.

Security sources said the passports could be extended without the foreigners ever leaving the country as all this was done using runners.

Sources said under the Immi­gration Department’s standard operating procedure, officers on duty at the counters were not allowed to carry mobile phones and the rubber stamps must be handed back at the end of their shift.

There are more than 1,500 Immigration personnel stationed at all the entry points in the state.

Earlier this year, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency arrested four officers for being involved in similar cases at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immi­gration and Quarantine complex here.