They were arrested at sea off Sekinchan earlier this week.

“Two Myanmar nationals and five Indonesian skippers believed to be the masterminds of the syndicate were apprehended,” said GOF brigade commander Muhammad Abdul Halim.

The syndicates were using registered Class B and C local fishing boats in the Straits of Melaka.

“Upon inspection, all 28 men on the boats, aged between 20 and 50, did not have valid documents and we are investigating whether they are crew members or immigrants being smuggled in,” he said at a press conference here today.

He added the syndicate would transfer a small number of migrants from one boat to another in international waters in a bid to avoid detection by the authorities.

The syndicate charged between RM800 to RM1,500 for each immigrant to be smuggled into the country via the coastline and fishing jetties in Sekinchan.

All the suspects have been remanded until Sept 17. They are being investigated under the anti-human trafficking and immigration laws and the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act.