PUTRAJAYA: Over RM82mil in seizures were made by the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) at the country's key entry points last year.
The agency also made seizures worth nearly RM1.5mil in January this year at Bukit Kayu Hitam via Ops Sepadu.
AKPS director-general Datuk Seri Shuhaily Zain said the seizures included RM20.2mil worth of narcotics and RM59.9mil in agricultural and controlled products.
He said 29,411 high-risk travellers attempting to enter the country through official checkpoints were also intercepted.
Shuhaily said this was achieved despite the agency still being in its infancy and while undergoing a complex transition involving the takeover of border control duties from several other agencies.
“From narcotics to prohibited agricultural items, these seizures show that our borders are no longer as porous as they once were,” he said, adding that enforcement efforts had intensified at major gateways such as Port Klang, Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
Among other cases were the interception of frozen pork products worth RM2mil at Port Klang and the recent seizure of 125 tonnes of illegal electronic waste (e-waste) and industrial refuse hidden in shipping containers.
He said the agency was also preparing to begin operations at a new entry point, namely the Rapid Transit System (RTS) linking Bukit Chagar in Johor Baru with Woodlands in Singapore.
He said the operations would begin in December this year, but AKPS personnel would be stationed at the RTS two months earlier.
On the challenges faced in tackling counter-setting activities at entry points, Shuhaily said the problem stemmed from a deeply ingrained culture among those involved.
He said that despite repeated warnings and firm enforcement action, some officers remained defiant and unwilling to turn over a new leaf, having become accustomed to lifestyles sustained by illegitimate income.
“When they have lived this way for so long and built their lives around it, it is not easy to change them overnight. It is a matter of their lifestyle and having them do away with it. This is our biggest challenge,” he said at the agency's headquarters here prior to a meeting with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution.
He said at least 400 investigations officers will be needed out of the 13,721 positions that will gradually be filled to fulfil the agency's required manpower.
Shuhaily said AKPS officers were operating under immense pressure, facing manpower shortages, limited assets and heightened public expectations to balance border security with smooth traveller and trade facilitation.
Despite this, he revealed that complaints against personnel remained relatively low compared to the scale of operations conducted daily.
Shuhaily stressed that integrity remains a non-negotiable priority for the agency.
He said to date, 39 enforcement personnel had been arrested or subjected to disciplinary action following investigations into corruption-linked activities such as passport counter-setting and facilitation of illegal entry.
He said placing a police officer, namely Datuk Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal, as Port Klang Entry Control Commander was ideal as his experience in the police force aids in identifying crimes and investigations occurring at the borders.
Shuhaily cautioned that as Malaysia prepares for Visit Malaysia 2026 and targets the arrival of 43 million international tourists, it is not “business as usual” for border enforcement agencies.
“AKPS is the first face of Malaysia. We may be young as an agency but we must be firm in action, uncompromising on integrity and unwavering in defending the nation’s sovereignty,” he said.
