S'wak GOF nabs mastermind of Indonesian human trafficking syndicate

KUCHING, Jan 11  -- The mastermind behind a human trafficking syndicate that aided immigrants to enter Sarawak illegally has been arrested, said Sarawak General Operations Force (GOF) brigade commander SAC Mancha Ata.

He said the mastermind, who is an Indonesian, was detained at around 1 pm yesterday by a Sarawak GOF Op Benteng task force at the grounds of a hotel in the Batu Tiga area here.

“Four locals and 17 illegal immigrants, including a boy, were also arrested by the task force,” he said in a statement today.

According to him, the task force had acted on information that three vehicles from Biawak near the Malaysia-Indonesia border in Lundu district were heading to the city, and the hotel was believed to be a transit point for sending illegal immigrants to Sibu, Tatau and Bintulu in the north of the state.

“This syndicate includes a local group identified as Adi Tailo gang that has links with the Feri Yeni group in (Kalimantan) Indonesia that is active in smuggling illegal immigrants into Sarawak,” he said.

The suspects were taken to the Padawan district police headquarters for further investigations.

-- BERNAMA