Malaysia’s Op Naga records RM244 million in seizures and 639 arrests since 2019, says MMEA.
PUTRAJAYA: Operation NAGA (Op NAGA), Malaysia’s crackdown on foreign encroachment and illegal fishing activities, has recorded 639 arrest cases and seizures worth more than RM244 million from 2019 to March this year.
In a statement today, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said based on the operation’s overall statistics, the highest number of arrests was recorded in West Terengganu with 436 cases, followed by East Sarawak with 128 cases and East Sabah 75 cases.
“The successful arrests and seizures prove Malaysia’s continued firmness in combating foreign encroachment and illegal fishing activities in the country’s waters,” the statement said.
It said Op NAGA, implemented through a whole-of-government approach, had also proven the effectiveness of the synergy among 17 security and enforcement agencies in defending sovereignty and protecting the country’s marine economic resources.
“The Malaysian government established a Task Force involving cooperation among various government departments and agencies in April 2019. Following that, the integrated Op NAGA operation was activated in the East Coast waters of Peninsular Malaysia and later expanded to the waters off Sabah and Sarawak,” it said.
The statement said MMEA was appointed as the coordinating agency in the integrated operation, alongside the Malaysian Armed Forces, Royal Malaysia Police and other civil authorities.
“The success is regarded as proof of the effectiveness of the integrated operation, which saw large-scale involvement of security and enforcement agencies in defending the sovereignty of the nation’s waters and protecting invaluable marine economic resources,” it said.
In the same statement, MMEA Deputy Director-General (Operations) Vice Admiral Mohd Zawawi Abdullah said that Op NAGA is an ongoing integrated operation mobilised to address increasingly complex maritime security threats, particularly in the South China Sea.
He said since its implementation, Op NAGA had also recorded 180,767 inspections and the detention of 5,139 foreign fishermen from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.
“Encroachment by foreign fishing vessels is not merely a violation of the law, but a direct threat to national sovereignty, maritime security and the sustainability of maritime economic resources,” he said.
Mohd Zawawi said IUU fishing activities had caused major losses to the local fisheries industry and damaged the country’s invaluable marine ecosystem.
Meanwhile, he expressed satisfaction with the organisation of the Combined Strategic Communication Working Group (CSCWG) Workshop for Op NAGA 2026, held for the first time over two days beginning May 4.
“The CSCWG Workshop, which gathered communication officers from 17 security agencies, is regarded as an important step in strengthening operational communication strategies.
“This combination of operational strength and strategic communication is expected to further enhance the effectiveness of Op NAGA as the nation’s main line of defence in curbing foreign encroachment and cross-border crimes in Malaysian waters,” he added.
