JOHOR BAHRU – The Johor Immigration Department has broken up a suspected foreign worker supply syndicate and seized RM776,614 in cash, along with vehicles, passports and other items, during an enforcement operation in Johor Bahru.
The operation, known as Ops Serkap, was carried out on 11 August 2026 at three interconnected locations in the Johor Bahru area.
A team from the Enforcement Division of the Johor Immigration Department began the operation at about 7.20 pm following approximately two months of intelligence gathering and information received from the public.
According to the department, officers arrested two Bangladeshi men believed to be the main masterminds behind the suspected operation.
The two men were allegedly involved in misusing Temporary Work Visit Passes, or PLKS, to supply foreign workers to factories in and around Johor Bahru.
Two other individuals were also arrested during the operation. They comprised a Bangladeshi man and a Myanmar national who were believed to have acted as supervisors within the suspected syndicate.
During the raid, immigration officers discovered a house where 121 foreign workers were reportedly gathered in cramped and hot conditions.
The department said the workers were waiting for the alleged main mastermind to distribute their salaries.
A substantial amount of cash and documentation was subsequently seized during the operation.
Among the items confiscated were 450 workers’ pay slips and envelopes containing cash amounting to RM776,614.
The enforcement team also seized two laptops, a copy of a Nepalese passport, two money counting machines and a bank cheque book.
A Toyota Corolla Cross believed to have been used by the suspected syndicate was also seized by the authorities.
Initial checks conducted by immigration officers resulted in 123 foreign workers being detained for various suspected immigration offences.
The detainees comprised nationals from several countries, with Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia represented among those detained.
The group included nine adult male Bangladeshi nationals, 14 adult male Myanmar nationals, six adult male Indian nationals, one adult male Pakistani national, one adult male Sri Lankan national and one adult male Indonesian national.
The detainees also included 78 female Myanmar nationals, nine adult female Indonesian nationals, three adult female Indian nationals and one adult female Sri Lankan national.
The individuals detained were aged between 20 and 49 years.
The Johor Immigration Department said all those arrested had been remanded for 14 days to facilitate investigations into suspected offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Passport Act 1966.
All detainees were subsequently placed at the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot while investigations and further action are carried out by the department.
The operation followed a period of intelligence gathering that lasted about two months, allowing enforcement officers to identify and investigate the suspected network before carrying out the coordinated raids.
The department said the enforcement action was part of its continued efforts to address activities involving illegal agents and the unlawful entry and placement of foreign workers in Johor.
Johor State Immigration Director Dato’ Hj. Mohd Rusdi bin Mohd Darus said the department would continue taking action against syndicates involved in such activities.
The department said it would maintain enforcement efforts against illegal agent networks that seek to profit from the illegal entry and placement of foreign workers in the state.
Investigations into the detainees and seized items are ongoing, with further action to be taken under the relevant laws following the completion of the investigation process.
