RANTAU PANJANG: More than 50 tonto groups, some of which are armed, are believed to be operating along the Malaysia-Thailand border in Kelantan in an intricate illicit network system.
While the Kelantan Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) has called for stricter measures by enforcement agencies along the border to eradicate smuggling, the state police urged enforcement agencies to set up task forces with the police.
State MCPF chairman Datuk Abd Aziz Nawi said enforcement should include tightening controls at entry points on the border into Kelantan.
“The issue of security cannot be compromised. What more when an enforcement personnel has been killed. Smuggling must be tackled firmly to deter smugglers.”
Kelantan police chief Datuk Dr Ab Rahman Ismail said agencies, such as the state office of the domestic trade, cooperatives and consumerism ministry and Customs Department, should have task forces that are assisted by the police.
“If an operation is conducted with the police, it will be stronger and more effective. It will strike fear in the culprits and drive home the severity of their crime.
“All the agencies have to do is notify police about the operation,” he said at his office yesterday.
Rahman said police could provide better security for enforcement officers involved in operations.
On the development of the case of the tonto who killed a Customs officer, he said police had set up a joint task force with the Customs Department to track down the tonto involved in the incident.
“We believe three to five suspects are involved in the case and they are all locals. The suspects do not include the man believed to be the mastermind who is hiding in southern Thailand.”
He said police efforts to track down those involved had been intensified, including working with counterparts in Thailand.
Rahman was commenting on Friday’s incident where Customs officer Anisah Ali, 54, was killed after the patrol car she was travelling in was rammed by a tonto while she and two other colleagues were chasing two vans suspected of transporting illicit cigarettes in Kampung Banggol Chicha, Pasir Mas.
Meanwhile, state Customs director Mohd Nasir Yusoff said the officers followed standard operational procedures during the operation.
“Although Op Deepavali was independently conducted by the department, the officers had fully observed the rules and regulations of an operation.”
A security enforcement source, when asked how tonto could move between two countries without being apprehended, said the tonto could have used isolated points along the border in Pengkalan Kubor, Tumpat and Rantau Panjang.
“The tonto would escort smugglers from the premises where they keep the goods until they reach the destinations. They usually go for less populated areas with thick bushes to mask their movements.”
He said more 50 tonto groups were operating in the state to shadow the operations of smugglers, with a majority of them working in a vast network of smuggling syndicates operating in Thailand.
“These tonto get paid between RM50 and RM100 per person for a trip. Some are armed with pistols, which they obtain from their counterparts in Thailand,” the source said, adding that the number of enforcement officers stationed along the border was insufficient to curb the smuggling.
Malaysian Border Security Agency in Kelantan urged communities in the state to channel smuggling-related information to enforcement authorities to curb the activities.
Its Kelantan commander, Mohd Asri Yahya, said the agency would conduct a large-scale operation to eradicate smuggling and tonto because they were threats to national security.
Asri said the agency often reminded members to be cautious of threats from tonto, who could turn violent.
He said tonto who obstructed the authorities from carrying out their duties could be charged under Section 136 of the Customs Act 1967.
Residents in towns near the border, including in Pengkalan Kubor, have expressed appreciation for efforts by enforcement authorities in eradicating smuggling.