File photo for illustration purposes only. Photo: Pixabay

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By Dorcas Ting

KUCHING, Jan 20: The High Court today sentenced an Indonesian man to two years’ imprisonment for smuggling two compatriots into Malaysia last June.

Zaini Akbar, 59, pleaded guilty to a single charge read before Judicial Commissioner Zaleha Mohd Yusuf Pan.

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According to the charge sheet, Zaini transported a man and a woman into the country using a Toyota Camry, in violation of Section 26J of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to RM250,000, or both.

The incident occurred in front of a shop in Tebedu at about 9.20am on June 11, 2025.

Case facts revealed that enforcement teams under “Ops Serkap” detained three Indonesian nationals during a routine operation. Further checks found that the two migrants, aged 33 and 22, had no official immigration records of entering Malaysia through the Tebedu checkpoint.

Investigations established that Zaini had brought the pair across the border in the sedan before being apprehended.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kong Siew Chuo prosecuted the case, while Zaini was unrepresented. — DayakDaily