RM7 Billion Seized in Op Hazard, AKPS to Establish Dedicated Intelligence Unit — Saifuddin
KUALA LUMPUR — Enforcement agencies under the Home Ministry seized nearly RM7 billion worth of assets last year through a coordinated operation known as Op Hazard, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
He said most of the seizures were linked to illegal electronic waste and scrap metal processing activities, along with other related criminal offences.
According to Saifuddin, the operation, led by the Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia, uncovered bullets, bullet residue and unlicensed factories that processed such materials into metal ingots.
“We also discovered violations involving the misuse of subsidised gas, immigration offences and the employment of undocumented foreign workers,” he said at a press conference here.
He stressed that Malaysian law strictly prohibits the importation of solid waste and that environmental authorities were involved in the nationwide enforcement effort.
Saifuddin explained that Op Hazard was designed not only to seize illegal assets but also to dismantle organised crime networks involved in environmental pollution and cross-border smuggling.
Separately, he announced that AKPS will establish its own intelligence and surveillance unit to strengthen border security operations.
Currently, the agency relies heavily on intelligence support from other institutions, including the police and armed forces, he said.
“If we do not develop our own unit, we will remain dependent on others. With this unit, AKPS can build an intelligence system that fits its operational culture and requirements,” he added.
He acknowledged that intelligence capabilities were not prioritised during the agency’s early formation but have now become a critical necessity.
Saifuddin said the ministry has granted full authority to AKPS’s director-general to oversee recruitment and capacity-building for the new unit.
The move is part of the government’s broader strategy to enhance border control, combat organised crime and safeguard the environment from illegal exploitation.
-wilayah.com.my
