Nationwide enforcement operations uncovered RM7 billion in e-waste-related seizures, with AKPS joining efforts to curb illegal cross-border waste activities.
PUTRAJAYA: The government is stepping up action against illegal electronic waste (e-waste) activities, with the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan, AKPS) joining nationwide enforcement efforts targeting the cross-border movement and processing of scheduled waste.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said large-scale operations conducted last year had already exposed the scale of the problem.
“Last year alone, police under the Internal Security and Public Order Department (Jabatan Keselamatan Dalam Negeri dan Ketenteraman Awam, KDNKA) recorded RM7 billion in seizures, much of it coming from e-waste,” he said at a press conference at the Putrajaya headquarters today.
Similar enforcement operations were now being carried out by AKPS as part of intensified border control efforts.
Saifuddin added that coordinated nationwide operations had previously led to the detection of various illegal activities linked to waste processing.
“When I was briefed by KDNKA, I found that when they conducted simultaneous operations nationwide, the value of seizures was large, including bullets and other materials.
“We also raided factories processing the waste into metal ingots,” he said.
He said investigations uncovered multiple offences, including the use of subsidised gas in processing activities and the employment of foreign workers, with probes involving immigration and environmental laws.
Saifuddin said Malaysian law did not allow foreign solid waste to enter the country, although locally generated waste could be processed under licences issued by the Department of Environment.
He said AKPS would combine multiple enforcement elements in carrying out operations at entry points, expressing confidence in the agency’s capability.
He noted that strategic placements had been made at key locations, including former police officers assigned to oversee operations at Port Klang and Bukit Kayu Hitam.
