SEPANG: The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) has seized goods valued at RM322.74mil up to October this year, marking a nearly fourfold increase compared to the previous year.
The agency’s deputy director-general (management) Ismail Mokhtar said the seizures represented progress in curbing revenue leakages and protecting national interests.
“These figures are more than just statistics,” Ismail said during his speech at the agency’s second-anniversary celebration here on Monday (Oct 26). “Behind them lie attempts to exploit weaknesses in controls, evade legal obligations, and reap illicit profits, with the risks ultimately borne by the nation and its people."
“Our aim is not merely to seize goods. We want to close smuggling routes, identify the perpetrators, and dismantle the systems that allow smuggling to recur,” he added.
Addressing the growing complexity of electronic waste (e-waste) smuggling, Ismail said that the agency is actively working to repatriate illegal shipments arriving at local ports.
“For the first time this year, the government, through a task force led by the agency, successfully arranged for containers carrying e-waste to be exported back to their origins. The agency will ensure all 1,259 identified containers are exported by the end of this year,” he said.
On human capital, Ismail revealed that 4,190 personnel have been absorbed into the agency under the official agency Service Scheme to help establish a unified operational identity.
However, he acknowledged that current staffing levels remain insufficient. The agency currently operates across all national entry points using personnel transferred from six core agencies, but still relies on external support while finalising its actual manpower requirements.
“This integration process must be followed by the development of common competencies, standardised work procedures, stronger discipline, and the consolidation of a single chain of command,” Ismail said.
Meanwhile, Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Awang Alik Jeman, reading a speech on behalf of Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, announced that the agency has been appointed as the lead agency for the National and Border Security Pillar.
The mandate follows the establishment of a Security Improvement and Mitigation Action Plan, triggered by the recent arrest of a Malaysian pilot in Indonesia for drug smuggling.
As part of this new role, the agency has begun coordinating joint operations under Ops Sundang alongside key partners, including the police, the Customs Department, the Wildlife and National Parks Department, and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).
