By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Nov 1: The High Court here sentenced an e-hailing driver to two years in prison for transporting five undocumented migrants through a palm oil plantation in Serian.
Wei Wei Seng, 26, pleaded guilty to an alternative charge presented before Judicial Commissioner Alexander Siew How Wai.
The offense took place in a palm oil plantation in Kampung Mongkos, Serian, at around 2.15am on June 2, 2021.
According to the case’s details, a joint enforcement team led by the complainant, as part of Operation Benteng, noticed a sedan leaving a plantation under suspicious circumstances. The team followed the vehicle for about 10 minutes before stopping it for inspection.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the accused had illegally transported five migrants from Indonesia into the country. Additionally, there were no records of their entry or exit from the country in the Immigration Department of Malaysia database.
As a result, the accused was charged under Section 26J of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Jean Siew Chong Hwei, while the accused was represented by Gerald Empaling Donald and Steven Beti. — DayakDaily
