JAKARTA - Malaysia’s General Operations Force Central Brigade detained 335 foreign nationals in anti-smuggling raids carried out from January 1 to May 11, 2026, the country’s state-owned agency Bernama reported on May 11. Police said those detained were allegedly trying to enter the country through illegal entry points. 

The arrests came from 38 raids within the brigade’s area of responsibility, which covers Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor. The detainees comprised 237 men, 96 women and 2 boys, according to GOF Central Brigade commander SAC Hakemal Hawari

Police also detained 37 suspected migrant smugglers operating through land and sea routes. That group included 5 Malaysian men, 31 Indonesians and 1 Myanmar man. Authorities seized 20 vehicles, 3 boats and 57 mobile phones, with the total value of confiscated items put at RM1.6 million. 

Bernama’s Malay-language report said the arrests were made under Ops Taring Nyah 1, an operation to tighten maritime security and stopping attempts to bring illegal migrants into Malaysia. Police said all those detained are being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007. 

The same brigade carried out a broader set of enforcement operations over the same period. Across 159 raids under several operations, police detained 551 people for various offences and seized items worth RM242 million, Bernama reported. 

Hakemal urged the public to pass on information related to migrant smuggling so authorities could act against unlawful entry networks. “The police hope the public can be the eyes and ears in channeling all kinds of information related to migrant smuggling,” he said.