Police Arrest Perpetrators Of Illegal Worker Smuggling In Riau Islands

Migrant Workers Smugglers/Photo: Antara

RIAU ISLANDS - The Karimun Resort Police, Riau Islands (Kepri), arrested eight perpetrators of smuggling illegal Indonesian migrant workers (PMI), consisting of six men and two women. The main actor with the initials ZA in Meral Barat District, Karimun Regency, who acts as a reservoir. "ZA acts as a reservoir and distributor of PMIs who will be illegally dispatched to Malaysia via the rat route from Karimun waters," said AKP Arsyad in Karimun, Friday, January 28. Together with ZA, three other perpetrators in Karimun were also arrested who helped ZA in carrying out illegal PMI smuggling. From the results of the development, he said, the police later arrested four perpetrators of the ZA network spread across several areas in Batam City. as many as eight people," said Arsyad. The police also secured a number of evidence, such as ATMs and proof of money transfer from PMI to ZA, four-wheeled vehicles to pick PMI to the port, and a "speed boat" with a capacity of ten people to take PMI to Malaysia.

The victims of illegal PMI who were arrested by the police in this case were 23 people. They come from various regions, such as Java, NTT, and NTB. "PMIs who want to go to Malaysia are subject to paying IDR 6.5 million to IDR 9 million to ZA," he said.

He conveyed that the victims of illegal PMI will be returned to their respective regions for guidance so they don't go back to Malaysia through unofficial channels. "Illegal PMI smugglers are threatened with violating Article 81 in conjunction with Article 83 of Law Number 18 of 2017 concerning the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers in conjunction with Article 2 of Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons, with a maximum imprisonment of 3 years." 5 years.