KUCHING:The Sessions Court here charged 23 men for alleged involvement in an organised crime group on Friday (May 15).
They were accused of being members of Geng 24 Hung-Hung at an oil palm plantation at Kampung Temaga Cina/Dayak in Sematan between December 2021 and April 20 this year.
The offence under Section 130V(1) of the Penal Code carries a jail term of five to 20 years upon conviction.
The accused, aged 19 to 44, appeared before judges Musli Abdul Hamid, Iris Awen Jon and Noorhisham Mohd Jaafar.
No plea was recorded as the cases are pending transfer to the High Court.
The court fixed June 22 for mention, following an application from the prosecution for extended remand at the state prison.
The accused were heavily guarded by armed security personnel throughout the court proceedings.
The cases were prosecuted by DPP Shafiq Kasim and Maryam Jamielah Ab Manaff.
Among the counsel representing the various accused were Hani Iriani Bonny, Datuk Shankar Ram, Ralph Lee, Daniel Ling and Patrick Voon.
The accused were arrested during a special operation codenamed Op Pusak Merah from April 19 to 23 and remanded under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act.
In a statement earlier on Friday, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk M Kumar S Muthuvelu said the gang had been active since 2020 and was believed to have 26 members, many of whom were repeat offenders.
He said police seized a pump-action shotgun, 12-bore bullets, two samurai swords and two machetes during the operation.
"Police are currently identifying and tracking down three remaining gang members who are still at large," he said.
He said the gang was believed to have extorted protection money, attacked premises that failed to pay, threatened or injured those who refused to follow their demands and committed other offences to spread their influence.
