KUALA LUMPUR: Items seized during the recent Ops Hazard will be used as evidence in court.
Department of Environment (DOE) director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar said 15,764 metric tonnes worth of e-waste were seized.
“Samples of the items have been taken.
“The DOE will produce an affidavit in court for the forfeiture of assets and later auction them off to licensed factories,” he told a joint press conference with the police yesterday.
There are currently 156 e-waste facilities licensed by the DOE nationwide.
Wan Abdul Latiff said the factories raided had committed various offences under the Environmental Quality Act (Act 127).
“Fifty-nine order notices and 27 compounds were issued for various offences.
“We will be opening 52 investigation papers for legal proceedings,” he said, adding that the DOE would rely on Section 34B of Act 127 to charge the offenders.
Under this section, those found guilty face a maximum fine of RM10mil and mandatory imprisonment of not more than five years.
Wan Abdul Latiff warned that illegally processed e-waste releases toxic substances that could lead to health implications apart from land, water and air pollution.
“Arsenic, for example, can lead to cancer,” he said.
When asked about the locations of premises raided in Ops Hazard, he said some were in industrial and remote areas, palm oil plantations and the outskirts of forests.
Some were operating on government reserve lands, among others, he added.
Of the 47 premises raided in Ops Hazard, six had valid licences from the DOE.
“We will investigate how severe the offences are, and the DOE can forfeit their licence if they are found to have collected e-waste illegally,” he said.
He stressed the department’s commitment in ensuring that Malaysia does not end up as an e-waste dumping ground.
On a similar matter, Wan Abdul Latiff said more than 500 containers inspected at ports nationwide between 2023 and 2024 were found to contain imported e-waste.
He said 462 containers were held at ports last year, up from 47 in 2023.
“This is a stark increase between the two years. Some 140 of the containers have since been sent back to the countries of origin while the remainder were in the process of being sent back.”
He said the DOE is working closely with the Customs Department, which is in charge of inspecting containers.
“If Customs suspects it to contain e-waste, the DOE will be called in for further investigations.
“If it does contain e-waste, an order notice will be issued for items to be sent back to the country of origin,” he said, noting that DOE officers are not stationed at ports round the clock.
Wan Abdul Latiff also said the department has applied for an additional 3,000 personnel to empower its enforcement efforts.
“The application has been submitted to the Public Services Department,” he said.
