Two illegal foreign labor supply syndicates busted in Johor

Malaysian immigration officers in Johor Bahru have dismantled two syndicates involved in exploiting Temporary Work Visit Passes (PLKS) and illegally supplying foreign labor. The operations, conducted over two days, led to the arrest of seven suspects, including two labor agents.

One syndicate, based in Johor Bahru, was found to be generating significant profits, estimated at RM225,000 per month, by illicitly selling foreign worker quotas to other companies. The modus operandi involved obtaining quota approvals for their registered businesses but not utilizing the workers themselves. Instead, these legally documented foreign workers were supplied to employers in the manufacturing and construction sectors for easy profit.

During the first raid on June 4, officers targeted an office of a foreign worker management agency in Pandan Trade Centre, arresting a 33-year-year-old Bangladeshi agent. Seized items included 36 passports belonging to Bangladeshi and Indian nationals, along with RM5,000 in cash. The agent was detained under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Passport Act 1966.

A second raid on June 5 in Taman Setia Tropika and Taman Kempas Utama resulted in the arrest of two more agents and four foreign workers. This agency is believed to have supplied up to 500 foreign workers across the state. Authorities confiscated 48 Bangladeshi passports, RM4,300 in cash, and two vehicles. The agents are being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the foreign workers were detained under the same act.