BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: A foreign national believed to be involved in the misuse of drugs was among the several foreigners rounded up during a raid by law enforcement agencies on Thursday late evening, reports Borneo Bulletin.
The raid codenamed ‘Ops Tangkas 58 Bersepadu’ initiated by the Law Enforcement Division of the Immigration and National Registration Department ended at 4am and saw the involvement of six law enforcement agencies targetting rented rooms and houses in the capital.
These included law enforcement agencies from the Immigration and National Registration, Customs, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Religious Affairs, Internal Security Department and Royal Brunei Police Force.
With objectives to integrate local law enforcement agencies by sharing joint information and enforcing respective law and regulations, the raiding party first targeted rented rooms and houses in Jalan Teraja and Kg Sungai Kianggeh.
During one of the raids at a rented room, a foreign male was suspected to have consumed control drugs after NCB law enforcers conducted a urine test.
Vigilant law enforcers also discovered utensils believed to be used for drug consumption after further inspections were conducted in his room. This is an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Chapter 17.
The raiding party was divided into three groups with each respectively raiding rented rooms and houses in Jalan Roberts, Kg Sungai Kedayan and Kg Sumbiling in the capital. The five-hour operation saw Immigration law enforcement officers apprehending five foreigners who failed to produce legal documents containing valid immigration pass. Three employers were also issued with letters to assist in investigations while 13 special passes were given to foreigners for further screening.
Meanwhile, the Law Enforcement Section of the Customs Department found three cases of possession of contraband goods by three foreigners in a raid conducted at the rented rooms in Jalan Teraja.
One of the foreigners was found possessing 18 packets of cigarettes, some tucked away under his bed while another foreign male had a carton of cigarettes without the country’s health warning and another kept several bottles of alcohol.
Three cases under the Religious Affairs Act involving two foreign couples were found at rented rooms in Jalan Roberts and another foreign couple at a rented room in Kg Sungai Kedayan.
The joint operation involving over 100 law enforcers also serves to implement operations and inspections based on the information and cooperation from the public members as well as collective information on identified rented rooms and houses that have the potential to house immigration offenders.
It also serves to enforce the Immigration and Passport Act and Regulations, the Human Trading and Trafficking Order 2004, to eradicate any local law offending activities, to ensure foreign couples staying together are legally married and to identify any potential rented rooms and houses believed to be hiding contraband items.