PONTIAN: Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has detained eight Indonesian nationals, including a woman, for entering the country through illegal channels.
State Maritime acting director Captain Kama Azri Kamil said besides the Indonesians, MMEA also detained a 48-year-old local man for being the "tekong darat" (ground coordinator).
"In an enforcement operation by an MMEA patrol boat, our men spotted a suspicious boat suspected of ferrying illegal immigrants entering Johor waters some 7.3 nautical miles northeast of Pulau Pisang at around 8.10am on Sunday (Aug 18).
"Our men then immediately pursued the boat, but they were not successful as it was moving towards shallow waters into Sungai Sanglang," he said in a statement here on Monday (Aug 19).
Kama Azri added that the MMEA patrol boat relayed the information, leading to a ground team being immediately dispatched to the location.
"Following such vital information, we were able to detain all eight suspects, including the seven illegal immigrants," he said.
Kama Azri also said the seven illegal immigrants, aged between 24 and 60 years, were investigated under Section 5(2) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
He added the local suspect was being investigated under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007.
Kama Azri said MMEA also seized the unregistered fibre boat and its engine used to ferry the illegal immigrants into Malaysia and a car.
"All of the suspects have been brought to Johor Maritime headquarters for further investigation. MMEA will continue to monitor and carry out operations to curb the entry of illegal immigrants to uphold the state’s security," he added.
