KOTA BHARU: Police have detected a smuggling syndicate that is now increasingly using river and coastal routes from Tak Bai, Thailand, including waterways in the Tumpat area that can reach the Kelantan River.
Kelantan Police Chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the change in the modus operandi was detected especially this year when syndicates used sea and coastal routes more.
He said the syndicate used routes through rivers in Tumpat and island areas including around Pulau Tok Kong.
“This year we have seen a significant change in modus operandi. Now syndicate groups are using sea and coastal routes more.”
“They enter through the rivers in Tumpat and the islands around the area. Many river routes in the area can reach the Kelantan River,” he said recently.
He said the syndicate also used the coastal route from Tak Bai before entering the Kuala Besar, Semerak, Pengkalan Chepa and Pantai Sabak areas, with some even moving as far as Besut, Terengganu.
Mohd Yusoff said the use of the route was proven through several drug arrests carried out by the police in the coastal area previously.
“We have made drug arrests in Pantai Sabak and Semerak with the seizure of more than 100 kilograms of syabu brought in by boat,” he said.
Commenting on the illegal bases on the Malaysia-Thailand border, he said 91 illegal bases built on government land had been demolished so far.
He said there were still about four or five more illegal bases on private land and the matter was still being dealt with by local authorities.
Mohd Yusoff said that so far all illegal bases that have been identified on government land have been demolished.
He said the existence of the illegal base on the Thai side was an issue that fell under that country’s jurisdiction.
Mohd Yusof said the structures in the neighbouring country, including facilities such as stairs and walls, had existed for a long time, but the actions of the Malaysian authorities were focused on the illegal bases within the country.
Security control along the Kelantan-Thailand border covers a distance of approximately 163 kilometres (km), with 91km of it covering the waters of Sungai Golok. The monitoring spans several major districts including Tumpat, Rantau Panjang (Pasir Mas), Tanah Merah, and Jeli.
Previously, the ban on illegal border crossings via illegal bases or jetties along the Malaysia-Thailand border (especially in the Sungai Golok area) had been in effect since Dec 1, 2024.
— BERNAMA
