ILLEGAL TIN MINING ACTIVITIES: 27 INDIVIDUALS ARRESTED, ITEMS WORTH RM28.73 MILLION SEIZED

IPOH, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- A total of 27 individuals were arrested during a raid in Kampar yesterday for allegedly carrying out illegal tin mining activities, with seizures involving an estimated value of RM28.73 million.

General Operations Force (GOF) Northern Brigade Commander SAC Shahrum Hashim said the raid was carried out by the Intelligence Branch of  Northern Brigade GOF, in collaboration with the Perak Land and Mines Director's Office and the Perak Minerals and Geosciences Department under the Khazanah Integrated Operation.

He said investigations revealed that the illegal activities had been ongoing since July 2024.

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According to him, those detained comprised eight Malaysians aged 19 and 76, with one of them a 76-year-old woman, and 19 foreign nationals, including a Chinese national quarry site manager.

“Inspections also found that all the foreign workers had violated immigration regulations by using their visit passes to enter and work in the country,” he said.

"The arrests involved seven local men aged between 19 and 76, a 76-year-old local woman, 10 Chinese national men (aged between 32 and 62), eight Bangladeshi men (aged between 28 and 44) ​​and a 33-year-old Nepali man.

“As for the seizure, it comprised tin ore weighing an estimated 4.5 tonnes, 60 jumbo bags containing rough minerals estimated to weigh 30 tonnes, various types of tin processing machines and various types of machinery used for quarry work, with an estimated value of RM28,732,000," he said in a statement today.

Shahrum said the case was being investigated under Section 426 of the National Land Code (Act 828) and the Perak Mineral Enactment 2003, while the foreigners were being investigated under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for violating the conditions of their stay and Regulation 39B of the Immigration Regulations for abusing their visit passes.

-- BERNAMA