82 arrested nationwide in anti-organised crime crackdown (update)

SHAH ALAM: A nationwide crackdown on organised crime saw 82 gangsters arrested including a Datuk Seri, a Datuk and three policemen.

Along with the arrests, police also seized weapons, cash, jewellery, property and vehicles, worth around RM3.2mil. 

The arrests, a result of three months of surveillance and intelligence gathering, were headed by Selangor and Kuala Lumpur police separately, with the help of Special Taskforce on Organised Crime (Staffoc), Special Task Force for Anti-Vice, Gambling and Gangsterism (STAGG), Bukit Aman, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act team (AMLA). 

Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Mazlan Mansor said state police targeted active 83 members of Gang 08 and Gang 18 and managed to round up 63 of them. 

"We launched two operations, Ops Spider for 08 and Ops Api Reload for 18, starting March 29.

"The arrests were made in Selangor, Pahang, Perak, Kelantan, Johor, Malacca and the KL International Airport 2," he said to a press conference at the Selangor police headquarters on Monday (April 9).

Out of the 63 arrested, 36 were from Ops Spider and the 27 were from Ops Api Reload, with the suspects aged between 23 and 60.

The Datuk Seri and Datuk, both in their 50s, had started in the Gang 08 since their teens and had climbed their way to the top of the underworld crime family.

Also nabbed were an Assistant Superintendant from Bukit Aman, A Sergeant Major, and a Constable, for being part of the gangs.

"We are still in the lookout for at least 20 more gang members including another former Constable, who was fired from the force about two years ago," he said.

The 63 are being detained for 28 days under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), and will be investigated for being active members of a criminal organisation.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim said city police nabbed 19 members of the Gang 08 in four states.

The members said to be active here for over three years had their hands in extortion rackets, drug syndicates, gang fights and even murder.

Following these arrests, police have set their sight on 22 others said to be part of the same gang.

“A total of 164 personnel were involved in the operations here, as well as in Johor, Pahang and Selangor.

“We arrested 19 suspects aged between 18 and 38 in those raids."

Comm Mazlan Lazim said based on investigations, police have identified 22 more suspects still at large.

“They have been blacklisted as wanted people."

Anyone with information of the gang members still at large are urged to contact the police immediately.