KELANTAN police have detained a man they say attempted to smuggle 23 Myanmar nationals into the country using a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in Tanah Merah last night.

Tanah Merah police chief Wan Zulfikri Wan Othman said a patrol car spotted the 57-year-old man driving a Toyota Vellfire in a suspicious manner in Bukit Bunga.

He said officers tried to stop the MPV and the driver initially sped up, but finally pulled over at Batu 11 Jalan Jeli-Tanah Merah.

“The driver tried to flee but he was caught in the nearby bushes.

“We found 18 Myanmar men and five women aged between 19 and 44,” he said in a statement, today.

Wan Zulfikri said none of them, who had just entered the country on the same day, had valid travel documents.

He said the driver later confessed to receiving RM6,900 to transport the illegal immigrants to Kuala Lumpur. The suspect, who tested positive for methamphetamine, has three previous convictions and a further 16 for drug offences, he added.

“The driver is being investigated under section 26J of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, while the Myanmar nationals are being investigated under section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/69,” he said. – Bernama, June 13, 2022.