RM500mil worth of illegal e-waste seized
KUALA LUMPUR: A staggering half a billion ringgit worth of illegal e-waste, including components and products, was seized in a nationwide operation involving 57 premises.
Codenamed Ops Hazard 2.0, the multi-agency raid was spearheaded by the police's General Operations Force and uncovered a web of crimes, possible tax evasion and exploitation of foreign labour.
Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Comm Datuk Seri Azmi Abu Kassim said 453 people, aged between 16 and 70, were arrested, with 41 of them Malaysians, while the rest were foreigners from countries including Myanmar, Bangladesh, Cambodia and the Philippines.
The Inland Revenue Board also estimated potential tax evasion losses of up to RM500mil linked to the illegal operations, he said.
'Among the offences detected were conducting illegal e-waste processing business, employing undocumented migrants and operating without valid business licences,' Comm Azmi said during a press conference at Bukit Aman yesterday.
Seized items included RM240mil worth of e-waste products, RM182mil in components and RM82mil in various other assets.
He said the latest operation brings the total value of seized e-waste materials since January to RM13.2bil, with 1,060 individuals detained.
'Ops Hazard 2.0 has increased the pressure on the illegal e-waste industry,' Comm Azmi said, adding that syndicates are adapting by using proxies, exploiting loopholes and possibly even receiving tip-offs ahead of raids.
In some cases, targeted premises were found already closed when enforcement teams arrived, raising suspicions of information leaks.
'We will work with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to curb this problem. We also believe the syndicates have become more cautious since Ops Hazard 1.0,' he said.
A total of 1,582 officers and personnel were involved in Ops Hazard 2.0.
Meanwhile, Environment Department enforcement division director Rosli Zul revealed a worrying twist: seven of the raided premises were licensed e-waste processors, now under investigation for allegedly importing waste illegally.
'These facilities had valid licences, but we found some e-waste materials believed to have been smuggled in from overseas,' he said.
'We have to investigate further. If confirmed, it would represent a very serious violation of the law.'
Malaysia, Rosli added, continues to be targeted by international e-waste syndicates.
'Over 600 containers have already been detected at Port Klang. Many were falsely declared as recyclable items but actually contained e-waste.
'Most of these illegal factories lack proper environmental control mechanisms. The pollution resulting from their operations is highly dangerous,' he warned.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Beware fake FB pages and ‘membership club' scam ads impersonating The Star
PETALING JAYA: Star Media Group Berhad, which publishes The Star print products and online portal, refers to a Facebook misusing The Star's brand identity. It has come to the group's attention that a Facebook page called "Thestarvip Club", which has about 4 followers at present, misuses The Star's logo. The page has run multiple misleading ads on Meta, as viewed via the Ad Library, luring people with the promise of being able to 'receive an exclusive stock package to boost your investment journey'. It also dangles the prospect of free membership to 'The Star 54th Anniversary Membership Club', which does not exist. The group wishes to clarify that the fake "Thestarvip Club" Facebook page is not affiliated with The Star's official social media platforms in any way. The aforementioned advertisement, as well as similar iterations by the bogus page and others like it, is not run by The Star's official Facebook page. Please do not interact with these scam Facebook pages or suspicious ads seen on social media. The Star – which Reuters named one of the most trusted sources of news in Malaysia – publishes on its official website To ensure you are looking at a genuine article by The Star, always check the web page address to confirm that the URL begins with Should you come across fake Facebook advertisements or suspicious Facebook pages impersonating The Star or any other brands, please file a report with Facebook.
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Inquest into Zara Qairina's death must be expedited as questions mount, says MP
KUALA LUMPUR: The government has been urged to hold an inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir, an opposition MP told the Dewan Rakyat. Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (PN-Alor Star) said the inquest was necessary to identify those responsible, as the cause of her death and the identity of the perpetrators remained unanswered nearly a month after the incident. "Zara is not only the child of her parents, but the child of all Malaysians who want justice for her still unanswered death," he said during his debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat. Afnan also proposed the appointment of full-time hostel wardens who are not schoolteachers, safety audits at schools with a high incidence of bullying, installation of CCTV cameras, the drafting of anti-bullying legislation, and the immediate formation of a special cabinet committee on bullying. The fifth measure, he said, was to create an online complaint platform that could be accessed by schools, police, and other relevant agencies. "What exactly happened? "Who are the perpetrators being protected?" he asked, adding that the issue had undermined public trust in schools, which should instead inspire confidence. He said that national development and economic progress would be meaningless if moral values among those responsible for carrying out such plans continued to deteriorate. Yesterday, the Inspector-General of Police Secretariat's Corporate Communications Unit confirmed that a task force comprising federal police CID personnel has taken over the investigation into Zara's death. Zara, a Form One student of a secondary school in Papar, Sabah, was reported to have fallen from the third floor of a dormitory. She was found unconscious in a drain on July 16 and later died while receiving treatment at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital (HQE) in Kota Kinabalu. On July 31, Sabah police chief Datuk Jauteh Dikun said that the possibility of bullying as a factor had not been ruled out. On Saturday, Zara's grave was exhumed in preparation for a post-mortem. On Sunday, the post-mortem was conducted at HQE, lasting about eight hours from 11am to 7.30pm.
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
T'ganu Umno Youth faces backlash for inadvertent Jalur Gemilang mistake
PETALING JAYA: The Terengganu Umno Youth received brickbats online after posting an image of the Jalur Gemilang with only 12 stripes. This came in the wake of their recent criticism of others for making similar mistakes. The division had uploaded a social media post condemning the recent upside-down flag incident in Penang, as well as the death of bullying victim Zara Qairina. The post described the acts as "cruel, rude and heartless" and called for the harshest punishment for those responsible. However, sharp-eyed social media users quickly noticed that the Jalur Gemilang image in the post had only 12 red-and-white stripes instead of 14. Netizens were quick to point out the irony, with many posting sarcastic comments and sharing screenshots before the group replaced the image with the correct version. One user wrote: "YB Akmal Saleh, can you go to the designer's house and teach them how to draw the Malaysian flag?" Another commented: "We Malaysians are also very disappointed and angered by this careless act of using the wrong Jalur Gemilang. Don't delete the post, okay? Screenshots have been taken!" One user even compared the "before and after" versions of the post, while another remarked: "Did your boss not hold a class on how to draw the flag before posting? Don't turn your leader, YB Dr Akmal Saleh, into an embarrassment, aiyo. 'Don't act first, then apologise' — so it actually means, 'No need to apologise, just quietly fix it'. Now I get it." The division later replaced the image with a corrected version. In a later Facebook video, Akmal called on the authorities to investigate and prosecute the Terengganu Umno Youth member who produced a poster showing the Jalur Gemilang with the wrong number of stripes. "There are two stripes missing, and I have confirmed the mistake came from the person who designed the poster. We take responsibility," he said. Akmal stressed that he would not excuse the error, despite it coming from within his own ranks. On Aug 9, a 59-year-old hardware shop owner in Kepala Batas, Penang, was investigated after the national flag was found hanging upside-down outside his shop. The shop owner stated that it was an unintentional mistake made while measuring a flagpole, which he corrected shortly after. Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh had announced plans to stage a protest at the shop, but the gathering did not take place after police were stationed in the area and advised against it. Akmal has been vocal against improper displays of the Jalur Gemilang and said he wanted to visit the shop owner to "teach" him how to display it properly.
