Kulim: The General Operations Force (GOF) arrested seven men, including six foreign nationals, in a raid on a premises suspected of carrying out illegal plastic waste processing activities here on Sunday (March 29).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the suspects comprised a local man believed to be the caretaker of the premises, along with four Bangladeshi nationals and two Nepalese nationals believed to be workers at the site. Its Northern Brigade commander, SAC Balveer Singh Mahindar Singh, stated that the raid, conducted at about 3 pm, was carried out by the Intelligence Branch of the brigade's 18th Battalion in collaboration with the Kulim Department of Environment (DOE).

Inspections revealed that the premises had installed and operated several plastic processing facilities without any notification or approval from the DOE. The raiding team discovered a large quantity of plastic stockpiles, both unprocessed and processed, as well as several machines used in the processing activities.

Various machines used for plastic processing, along with three forklifts, were seized, with the total value of the confiscated items estimated at more than RM20 million. Initial investigations indicated that the premises had been operating for more than nine years, sourcing plastic waste materials from the Klang Valley. The facilities were used to process plastic materials, with the processed plastic pellets subsequently exported overseas.

The 35-year-old local man is being investigated under Section 55B of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for employing illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, the six Bangladeshi and Nepalese men, aged between 22 and 46, are being investigated under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.

The case has been handed over to the Kulim DOE for investigation under Section 34A of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 for failing to submit a report on the environmental impact of the plastic processing activities.