GOF arrests 1,733 people, seizes RM82.56m worth of goods in cross-border crime crackdown

TUMPAT, Nov 3 — The Southeast Brigade of the General Operations Force (GOF) recorded 1,493 cross-border crime cases between Jan 1 and Nov 1, with enforcement operations resulting in 1,733 arrests and seizures worth more than RM82.56 million.

Its commander Datuk Ahmad Radzi Hussain said the achievement demonstrated his personnel’s dedication and efficiency in carrying out enforcement duties aimed at safeguarding national security and sovereignty.

He said GOF had strengthened its intelligence capabilities and heightened personnel awareness of emerging threats, particularly the use of alternative routes and hidden locations by cross-border criminals seeking to evade detection.

“We cannot rely solely on conventional approaches or wait for threats to emerge before taking action. We must stay one step ahead by identifying changes in their patterns and modus operandi,” he told reporters after a handover of duties ceremony from the GOF 9th Battalion to the 7th Battalion for Ops Taring Wawasan Kelantan at the GOF Tactical Post in Pengkalan Kubor here yesterday. 

Ahmad Radzi said each battalion must conduct assessments of its operational areas, identify high-risk locations and regularly update intelligence information to ensure operations focusing on prevention and risk assessment were carried out effectively.

On efforts to tackle illegal immigration, he said GOF operations went beyond making arrests to uncovering syndicate networks, those facilitating illegal crossings and individuals shielding the migrants’ movements from detection.

He said tackling the issue required a comprehensive and sustained preventive approach, including identifying high-risk areas, those involved and their modus operandi to curb such activities.

“As of yesterday, a total of 921 undocumented migrants of various nationalities had been detained, comprising 802 in Kelantan, 104 in Pahang and 15 in Terengganu,” he said. — Bernama