Dirty tricks: Department of Environment personnel inspecting e-waste found in a shipping container in Port Klang.
KLANG: More than 158 tonnes of illegal e-waste and copper materials were seized during an integrated enforcement operation at Port Klang.
The operation, carried out at about 5pm on Friday, involved inspections of nine containers led by Port Klang Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) commander Deputy Comm Datuk Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal.
AKPS director-general Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said six containers were found to be carrying prohibited goods, including circuit boards, industrial fuses and copper materials classified as e-waste, which are banned import items under the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
“The seized items comprised five e-waste containers weighing 127,867kg and one container of copper wire cables weighing 30,300kg, bringing the total weight of seized goods to 158,167kg.
Discarded devices: A close-up view of printed circuit boards among other illegal e-waste discovered in Port Klang.
“The e-waste containers have been placed in a secure area pending instructions from the Selangor and federal Department of Environment on re-export procedures,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Comm Mohd Shuhaily stressed that the importation of scheduled waste into the country is strictly prohibited under the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
He added that AKPS will continue to intensify inspections of containers suspected of carrying prohibited waste to strengthen border control and enforcement at the country’s entry points.
DCP Nik Ezanee said investigations revealed that the shipment involved false declaration, a common tactic used by syndicates to smuggle prohibited waste into the country.
“In some cases, the containers were declared as items such as aluminium flakes, when in fact they contained e-waste,” he said when contacted.
Based on current findings, Malaysia is believed to have been the intended dumping ground for the illegal waste.
“We aim to stop and reject these containers from entering our soil. What we really want is to bring those behind this operation to justice,” DCP Nik Ezanee said.
He warned that e-waste poses serious environmental and public health risks, describing it as a toxic cocktail of hazardous substances such as mercury and lead.
“If burned or processed illegally, it can poison our soil, water and air. Only scoundrels would bring such waste into their own community and country for a quick profit,” he said.
