Immigration Department raids a Chinese national’s illicit e-waste factory

PETALING JAYA: During a raid on Thursday, May 16, the Immigration Department discovered an illegal e-waste factory operated by foreigners, according to director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh.

He claimed that after the public complained that the Klang factory was operating unlawfully and hiring foreign workers who might be victims of human trafficking, the factory was located.

The raid was carried out following examinations that revealed indications of human trafficking using the National Guideline on Human Trafficking Indicators (NGHTI) 2.0.

At 1:30 p.m., officials from the Putrajaya Immigration Department, Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom), and Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities (Amla) collaborated on a joint operation.

In a statement released today, Ruslin stated, “Of the 35 foreigners checked during the operation, 33 of them were arrested – including two Chinese men, 27 Myanmarese men, two Cambodian men, one Myanmarese woman, and one Cambodian woman.”

He claimed that the foreigners, who ranged in age from 19 to 40, were housed in a hostel within the facility and without any official documentation.

According to Ruslin, “it is believed that the factory owner, who is suspected to be a Chinese national, held them inside the premises.”

According to him, the factory’s recycling of valuable metal from e-waste is thought to have brought in earnings of up to RM500,000.

Investigations suggest that, although the factory was operated by a Chinese proxy, it was registered under a Malaysian person. We’ll keep looking into it to find the proprietors.

According to Ruslin, “the Immigration Act and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) 2007” will be used to examine the matter.