Rm3 8bil E Waste Equipment Seized In Nationwide Ops

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Bukit Aman internal security and public order department director Azmi Abu Kassim said the illegal recycling plants were registered under the names of Malaysians but secretly run by Chinese nationals. (Bernama pic)
KUALA LUMPUR: Police, in collaboration with the department of environment, have cracked down on illegal e-waste processing operations nationwide, seizing RM3.8 billion worth of materials between Jan 1, 2024 and Feb 17 this year.
Bukit Aman internal security and public order department director Azmi Abu Kassim said the seizures included weighing machines and tin processing equipment.
He said the crackdown, which involved the General Operations Force, the wildlife crime bureau, the marine police and the federal reserve unit, led to 538 arrests from 90 cases.
“This e-waste operation was carried out in three phases – the first from Jan 1, 2024 to Feb 14, 2025, the second under Op Hazard on Feb 15, and the third from Feb 16 to 17,” he told a press conference at Bukit Aman here today.
Also present was DoE director-general Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar.
Azmi said that during Op Hazard alone, authorities seized RM2.68 billion worth of e-waste, weighing 22.9 million kg, and arrested 246 people.
Police also seized a number of items, including processing machines, oil, plastic, cooking blocks, and vehicles, valued at a total of RM179.8 million.
Forty-seven locations were raided during the operation.
He said those detainees are being investigated under the Licensing of Trades, Businesses and Industries By-Laws, the Environmental Quality Act 1974, and the Immigration Act 1959/63.
“Police will continue their investigation to identify the masterminds behind the e-waste operations, particularly foreign nationals who act as owners and operators of illegal factories,” he said.
Azmi said the illegal recycling plants were registered under the names of Malaysians but were actually managed by Chinese nationals.
He said they would dismantle and separate hazardous materials from valuable metals without obtaining licences from the DoE.
“E-waste contains precious metals such as gold, silver, copper, platinum and palladium, which have high recycling value. These are processed into ingots of iron, tin and copper before being exported abroad,” he said. - FMT

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