Security personnel checking personal identification papers during the operation.
KOTA KINABALU: A multi-agency operation aimed at curbing various crimes and offences saw more than 20 undocumented migrants detained in Sabah's east coast Sandakan district.
Enforcement authorities also seized a substantial amount of illegally obtained tangar wood in the one-week operation starting from Jan 25 led by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom).
Esscom Commander Deputy Comm Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said they had earlier targeted locations that were identified as potential settlements for illegal immigrants in the district.
He said the presence of such migrants could pose a threat to national security as well as public order particularly in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone).
He added that the authorities had checked 410 houses at 12 locations and screened 772 people.
"As a result, we arrested 26 undocumented migrants under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act before their deportation process later," he said, in a statement here on Wednesday (Feb 1).
At the same time, he said, they seized tangar wood as well as controlled goods valued at almost RM17,000.
"An operation to weed out illegal power connections was also held at the locations," DCP Hamzah added.
He said 81 officers and personnel from various government agencies and departments were involved in the integrated operation.
Towards this end, he said Esscom would continue to intensify operations to thwart any element that could disrupt peace and public order.
He urged the public to contact Esscom to report any security incident in the Esszone by calling its operations centre at 089-863 181 or its WhatsApp number at 011-63311072.
