ELEVEN people, including three public servants in Sabah, have been arrested by police for being part of a human trafficking network which smuggled illegal migrants from the southern Philippines to Peninsular Malaysia.

The syndicate had been using the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) as its transit point.  

In a police statement issued tonight, police say two of the government servants were working at KKIA and the suspects were picked up in Kota Kinabalu, Beaufort and Penampang during an operation codenamed “Op Kenal Sabah”.

“With the arrests, the Royal Malaysian Police, along with the cooperation of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, are believed to have crippled a human trafficking syndicate smuggling Filipino migrants to Peninsular Malaysia through the airport,” said the statement.

Police said the syndicate had been monitored since 2017.

“It was determined that the syndicate has a network working for them in the southern Philippines.

“They are believed to have brought the migrants into Sabah from illegal entry and exit points in Basilan, Philippines.”

The nationalities of those arrested include Pakistanis, Chinese and Indonesians.

Further investigations found that the syndicate had smuggled the migrants through the airport using either Mykads of locals, fake Mykads, birth certificates, MyPR, IMM13 passes and forged immigration release forms.

The suspects comprise eight Mykad holders, two MyPR holders, or Red IC, and one IMM13 holder.

The case is being investigated under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act and will be heard at the Kota Kinabalu sessions court tomorrow morning. – November 20, 2018.