Johor man pleads guilty to being part of organised crime syndicate, gets five years' jail


JOHOR BARU: The High Court here has sentenced a man who pleaded guilty to being part of an organised crime syndicate to five years in jail.

Mohammad Zaheer Ali pleaded guilty in front of High Court Judge Abu Bakar Katar after the charge was read out to him here on Wednesday (Nov 29).

According to the charge sheet, the 34-year-old was found to be a member of organised crime syndicate, Geng Otong, which is an offence under Section 130V(1) of the Penal Code (Section 574) and can be sentenced under the same Act.

The offence carries a prison sentence of not less than five years and not more than 20 years upon conviction.

According to the charge sheet, Geng Otong was carrying out human smuggling activities involving illegal immigrants from Indonesia in Kota Tinggi between 2015 and 2020.

Police investigations found that Mohammad Zaheer, who acted as the "tekong darat" (ground coordinator), managed the travel time and boat departure locations as well as instructed a transporter to pick up the illegal immigrants to be sent to transit premises.

He took payments of between RM250 and RM350 for each illegal immigrant and managed to help some 10,000 Indonesians return to their country through illegal land routes during the period.

Mohammad Zaheer also had been paying off enforcement agencies officials to smoothen the human smuggling activities to make sure no arrests were made against the illegal immigrants.

Judge Abu Bakar then sentenced Mohammad Zaheer to five years in jail. He ordered that Mohammad Zaheer start his imprisonment from the date of his arrest, which was on June 4, 2020.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Faris Ab Jalil prosecuted the case while lawyer Muzammil Hairiri represented the accused.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
Johor , Organised Crime , Syndicate , Guilty , Jail

Next In Nation

Blacksmith to be charged for meat cleaver attack in drunken brawl in JB
Floods: Final group of evacuees in Sabah return home
Mandopop sensation G.E.M. thrills a full house crowd of more than 50,000 at Bukit Jalil National Stadium
No porcine DNA found in 'ham and cheese' sandwiches with misused halal logo, says Armizan
EPF must explain why its "sell low, buy high" of MAHB shares were so close together in time, resulting in losses, says Ayer Itam MP Dr Wee
Average RM4,500 per head: Large payouts tempt locals to smuggle undocumented migrants into country, says Immigration Dept
MACC nears completion of 'Ops Sky' probe
Warisan remains committed to Sabahans, not political alliances, says Shafie
Fisherman regrets not stopping Norshamira from meeting her killer at dark jetty
Teen dies after fall from condo

Others Also Read