Berita Harian reported that two of the raids were conducted in Gua Musang and one was carried out in Banting, Selangor, where the REE was allegedly processed and stored before being exported overseas.
Forty-six people, comprising five Malaysians and 41 nationals from various countries, were arrested at the mining site in Gua Musang. A storage facility was also raided in Gua Musang.
One Malaysian and three foreigners were arrested in a raid at a warehouse at an industrial area in Banting, which is suspected to be a transit point for the illegally mined REE.
Subsequently, another five Malaysians were arrested.
Police seized over five tonnes of REE, estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of ringgit, in the Banting raid.
Sacks suspected to contain REE were stacked in the warehouse, alongside an industrial drying machine used to process and solidify the material.
It is understood that the REE was transported monthly from the illegal mining site in Gua Musang to the warehouse in Banting.
Once dried, the REE was repackaged into different sacks, allegedly labelled as clay and fertilisers to mislead authorities, before being shipped to nearby ports for export.
Following the raid, enforcement officers from the Selangor land and mines office and officials from the minerals and geoscience department (JMG) were called to the scene to assist in verifying and documenting the confiscated minerals.
At the warehouse, preliminary results of tests by JMG officers confirmed the seized materials contained REE – which can range between US$2,000 and US$800,000 per tonne.
Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain confirmed the raids and arrests. He said 269 sacks of REE and illegal mining equipment were handed over to JMG for further inspection and management.
He added that the foreign nationals are being investigated under Section 6(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for staying in the country without valid permits.
Investigations are also being conducted under Section 55C of the Immigration Act for hiring or harbouring undocumented migrants.