Assets worth nearly RM119mil seized in nationwide crackdown on illegal mining, 99 nabbed
Malaysian authorities have arrested 99 individuals and seized RM119 million in assets during a nationwide crackdown on illegal mining. The operation, dubbed Ops Gali Mega, targeted sites extracting gold, coal, and other minerals without proper licensing.
Why it matters
Illegal mining poses significant risks to environmental stability, public safety, and national revenue, necessitating large-scale inter-agency enforcement.
KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman has uncovered 24 illegal mining sites and arrested 99 people in a nationwide operation targeting illegal extraction activities involving minerals such as gold, coal, sand and kaolin, with seizures valued at nearly RM119mil.
Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department (KDNKA) director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said the operation, dubbed Ops Gali Mega, was carried out nationwide from Aug 19 to 23 to curb increasingly serious illegal mining activities.
He said illegal mining not only causes environmental damage but also affects public safety, involves undocumented migrants and results in losses of government revenue.
"The operation was conducted under the National Mineral Policy, with police working together with the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) and other enforcement agencies to combat the illegal exploitation of the country's mineral resources.
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