Sarawak GOF seizes nearly RM20mil worth of e-waste
Sarawak GOF deputy commander, Assistant Commissioner Rosdi Inai said the "Op Hazard 2.0 Sarawak" operation, conducted between 10am and 9pm on Monday resulted in 20 arrests, involving 13 locals and seven foreigners.
He said the local suspects consisted of 12 men and one woman aged between 24 and 58, while the foreigners involved six men and one woman aged between 21 and 32 years.
"The six raids were carried out at several locations suspected of carrying out electronic waste processing activities without a valid license. They involved two locations in Kuching, one in Kota Samarahan, one in Sibu and two in Bintulu," he said in a statement today.
Further inspection at the locations involved also found several items suspected to be unprocessed electronic waste, worn-out goods and various types of equipment, with an estimated value of RM19,638,213.45.
Rosdi said it was also found that the syndicate involved illegally purchased and collected electronic waste from surrounding areas before sending it to the peninsula to be broken down to obtain precious metals, such as gold, silver and copper that could be recycled.
"It is understood that this syndicate also operates in remote premises to avoid detection by the authorities," he said.
He said all the suspects had been handed over to the police and the Immigration Department, while the seized items were handed over to the Sarawak Department of Environment and the D4 Criminal Investigation Department for further action. – BERNAMA
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