Ismail, who is also the defence minister, said that during the same period, a total of 12,087 illegal immigrants and 922 skippers were also arrested.

“The value of the seizure and the number of arrests demonstrate the success in efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 involving illegal immigrants.

“Op Benteng also strengthened security at the country’s borders besides combating cross-border crime,” he said on RTM 1’s “Selamat Pagi Malaysia” this morning.

Op Benteng – an integrated operation involving the police, armed forces, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and Malaysian border security agency as well as other security agencies – was introduced in line with the implementation of the movement control order to effectively curb the transmission of the pandemic and influx of illegal immigrants.

Ismail said despite the many constraints faced due to the pandemic, defending the country’s sovereignty has always been a priority for the ministry and armed forces.

He explained that during the efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19, the armed forces were involved not only in security aspects, but also covered logistics and assets assistance to the health ministry.

“The armed forces created field hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients as well as aviation services to bring medical staff to the affected states and to deliver screening samples, especially from Sabah and Sarawak, to laboratories in the peninsula,” he said.

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