A TOTAL of 8,427 illegal immigrants, 789 skippers and 351 smugglers have been detained under Ops Benteng since May 1, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

According to Ismail Sabri, 227 boats and 922 vehicles were also seized in the operation to curb cross-border crime and contain the spread of Covid-19.

Ops Benteng involves the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), the police, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Malaysian Border Security Agency (Aksem).

“Yesterday, 51 illegal immigrants and two smugglers were arrested, while three vessels and three vehicles were seized,” he told reporters today.

Ismail Sabri also said that 517 people were detained yesterday for defying CMCO directives.

Of those, 467 were compounded, while 50 more were remanded for violations that included not practising physical distancing (187 people), not wearing face masks (83) and failing to prepare customer registration tools (63).

“Other offences include activities at entertainment centres (56), gambling (42), crossing state/ district borders without permission (37) and others (49),” he said.

As for mandatory quarantine, he said 69,443 people had returned home from abroad as of yesterday, and they had been placed at 69 hotels and 22 public training institutes, as well as educational institutes since July 24.

A total of 396 people were sent to hospital for treatment, he said. – Bernama, November 17, 2020.