JOHOR BARU: The Johor Immigration Department has smashed a “flying passport” syndicate following the arrest of a man at a hotel here on Sunday.
Johor Immigration director Baharuddin Tahir said the 41-year-old suspect was arrested at 11pm during the “Ops Serkap” after two weeks of intelligence gathering by the department.
“The man is suspected to be the mastermind of the syndicate. He is believed to have charged a fee of RM300 to RM700 per transaction for arranging for the illegal extension of social visit passes,” he said in a statement last night.
Baharuddin said 70 international passports — 57 Vietnam, 10 China and three Indonesia — were seized in the raid by 10 immigration officers.
He said the man was being investigated under Section 12 (1) (f) of the Passport Act 1966 (Act 150).
“The Malaysian Immigration Department views this matter seriously as it can undermine the sovereignty and security of the country,” he said. — Bernama
