The raids and seizure carried out by PGA Sarawak.
KUCHING: The Sarawak General Operations Force (PGA) Brigade has chalked up another string of major successes, seizing RM5.9 million worth of contraband goods, smuggled items and vehicles in just five days under Op Taring Alpha and Op Taring Awas/Batas.
Brigade Commander SAC Lim Bak Phai said the series of raids between August 19 and 23 demonstrated the PGA’s firm stand against cross-border crimes and illegal trade.
“The largest haul was on August 19 when our Intelligence Branch stormed a house in Kuching and arrested a 30-year-old man. Inside, we found 12,900 cartons of cigarettes of various brands worth RM4.64 million,” he said.
Just two days later, on August 21, another strike by the Intelligence Branch and Tiger Platoon Battalion 11 zeroed in on three premises in Kuching. Four men and a woman, aged 22 to 40, were caught storing and selling contraband cigarettes and liquor. The team seized 1,900 cartons of cigarettes and more than 6,000 litres of liquor worth over RM1 million.
The raids and seizure carried out by PGA Sarawak.
The crackdown was not limited to contraband. On August 20 in Lundu, a Toyota Land Cruiser loaded with 1,500 kilograms of rice was stopped. A 29-year-old man was detained and the rice, believed smuggled without valid permits, together with the vehicle, was confiscated with an estimated value of RM122,000.
Three days later in Sri Aman, PGA Battalion 10 intercepted a Toyota Hilux and detained a man and a woman, aged 57 and 44, suspected of smuggling 150 kilograms of subsidised fertiliser. The seizure, including the vehicle, was valued at RM121,380.
Meanwhile, in Serian, the hunt turned to immigration offences. At dawn on August 23, PGA Battalion 23 raided two huts in an oil palm plantation, arresting four Indonesian men without travel documents. Three motorcycles, one reported stolen and five mobile phones were seized, valued at RM14,500.
Lim said these successes add to an impressive record for 2025. “From January to August 25, Sarawak PGA has recorded 326 cases with seizures worth RM312.5 million, 428 arrests involving both locals and foreigners, and the confiscation of 243 vehicles. This shows our continuous commitment to safeguarding the state from criminal activities,” he said.
By Connie Chieng