It was conducted from June 16 until 2pm today, with total seizures estimated at RM500 million, Bernama reported.
Bukit Aman internal security and public order department director Azmi Abu Kassim said the operation involved the police, in collaboration with the environmental department (DoE), Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) and nine other agencies.
He said the seizures include RM240 million in e-waste, RM182 million in components, RM50 million in scrap items, and RM32 million worth of items involving other offences.
A total of 916 individuals were questioned during the raids, leading to the arrest of 453 people – 382 men, 70 women and one teenager.
Azmi said seven of the 57 premises had valid licences to process e-waste, but the owners will still be investigated as the licences only allow for the processing of locally generated waste.
He said information leaks before the operation may have prompted some operators to shut down in advance.
Since the first e-waste operation began on Jan 1, a total of RM5.18 billion worth of e-waste has been seized, with 1,061 arrests and 167 investigation papers opened.
Azmi added that Malaysia is a signatory to the Basel Convention, which prohibits the import of electronic waste for processing.
Investigations are ongoing to determine whether the seized waste was sourced locally or brought in illegally.
Meanwhile, DoE enforcement director Rosli Zul said there are currently 156 licensed e-waste processing facilities nationwide, all of which are only permitted to handle waste generated domestically.
“Malaysia continues to be targeted by foreign countries for illegal e-waste disposal. To date, 600 containers have been detained at Port Klang for entering without proper authorisation.”
According to LHDN, the operators of these premises are believed to have evaded taxes amounting to more than RM500 million.
IRB deputy CEO (compliance) \Hisham Rusli said they will scrutinise the financial records of the 57 premises raided.
“Based on current information, several of the premises appear to be operated by the same owner.”
Hisham said that from a taxation standpoint, illegal factories typically either fail to report their income or declare figures significantly lower than their actual earnings.
“We will thoroughly examine their financial records. What we’ve discovered is that these e-waste processing products are often re-exported at prices many times higher than their original value,” he said.