KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is conducting a thorough investigation to determine whether the Malaysian national arrested in Thailand for smuggling firearms is involved in an organised crime syndicate or was merely acting as a “transporter.”
According to Berita Harian, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that authorities have received a full briefing from the police regarding the case.
He explained that the arrest in Thailand was made through close cooperation between the authorities of both countries, at both government-to-government (G2G) and police-to-police (P2P) levels.
“The arrest was made in Thailand because we have good relations with them. Since it happened there, the Thai authorities will conduct a full investigation.
“Typically, they will also update us on the case’s progress. Meanwhile, we have carried out profiling of the individual to get a clearer picture,” he reportedly said.
He made these remarks after launching the Kampung Angkat and Sekolah Angkat Madani initiatives by the Immigration Department at Sekolah Kebangsaan Rambong Pulai in Kupang, Kedah today.
The national daily also reported that Saifuddin Nasution said preliminary investigations indicate that, so far, the suspect has no links to major crime groups or organised networks.
He added that the focus of the investigation is now to determine whether the man was simply a hired hand or part of a larger network.
“We have confirmed he is a Malaysian citizen, and the arrest involved firearms and ammunition. This proves the matter is serious and needs to be handled carefully.
“We will investigate thoroughly to identify the real network behind this smuggling attempt,” he said.
When asked whether the suspect had any ties to terrorist groups, he said initial investigations had found no evidence of such involvement.
“There is no evidence pointing to that at this stage (with any terrorism-related group),” he said.
Earlier reports stated that a 42-year-old Malaysian man was arrested in Danok, Sadao, Thailand last Saturday after Thai police discovered two M16 rifle barrels and 450 rounds of ammunition hidden in his car.
The suspect reportedly admitted to being paid RM10,000 to smuggle the firearms into Malaysia.
