10, including military officers, remanded over smuggling ring

New Straits Times

6 hours ago

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has obtained a seven-day remand order for individuals arrested in a smuggling racket yesterday.
Among them are five military officers, two journalists from an online news agency, a company manager, an administrative assistant with the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and a foreign woman.
Four male suspects were remanded for seven days until Aug 20, two men and one woman for two days until Aug 18, while two men and an Indonesian woman were remanded for three days until Aug 15.
Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin issued the remand orders after an application by MACC at the Putrajaya magistrate's court this morning.
According to a source, the suspects, aged between 30 and 55, were arrested around the Klang Valley on Wednesday during Op Sohor by MACC's Intelligence Division with the cooperation of police.
"The senior military intelligence officers are believed to have colluded with the syndicate by leaking operational information to help them evade enforcement action.
"The smuggled items included drugs, cigarettes and other goods from neighbouring countries, with an estimated value of about RM5 million a month," the source said.
Investigations revealed that over the past 12 months, the syndicate allegedly paid between RM30,000 and RM50,000 in bribes to the officers for each smuggling operation.
The network involving the military officers is believed to be extensive and complex.
During Wednesday's operation, MACC also seized more than RM63,000 in cash, several packages suspected to contain drugs, weighing and measuring equipment, alcohol and an imitation firearm.
MACC Intelligence Division senior director Datuk Saiful Ezral Arifin, when contacted, confirmed the arrests, adding that the case is being investigated for corruption and money laundering offences.