Kuala lumpur: The Magistrate's Court today issued remand orders against 10 individuals, including five senior Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) officers, to assist the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) investigation into a smuggling syndicate operating in the country's south.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the MACC stated that the others remanded comprise two journalists from an online media agency, a company manager, an administrative assistant at the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), and a foreign woman. Four male suspects have been remanded for seven days until August 20, two men and one woman for two days until August 18, while two men and one Indonesian woman are remanded for three days until August 15. These remand orders were issued by Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin.

Sources reveal that the five senior military officers and five civilians, aged between 30 and 55, were arrested around the Klang Valley yesterday in 'Op Sohor', carried out by MACC's Intelligence Division with the cooperation of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). The military intelligence officers are suspected of colluding with the syndicate by leaking operational information to help them evade enforcement.

The smuggled goods allegedly brought into the country include drugs, cigarettes, and other items from neighbouring countries, with an estimated value of about RM5 million a month. The raids followed about 12 months of intelligence gathering, and the suspects are believed to have received between RM30,000 and RM50,000 in bribes for each smuggling trip conducted. The network involving the officers is believed to be large and complex.

In the Wednesday operation, MACC also seized over RM63,000 in cash, several packages suspected to contain drugs, weighing and measuring equipment, liquor, and imitation firearms found at the raided premises. Meanwhile, MACC Intelligence Division Senior Director Datuk Saiful Ezral Arifin stated that the suspects are being investigated for corruption and money laundering offences.