A Filipino who illegally smuggled paperless fellow countrymen to Malaysia was intercepted by the local police and sent to jail.
The 58-year-old Filipino identified only as Albarin Jukirin, pleaded guilty before the High Court judge Datuk NurchayaHj Arshad. He is set to be jailed for five years and will be fined Rm10,000.
According to reports, Jukirin ferried a girl, a baby boy, as well as four men and women on August 12 from TanjungInaruntung at Pitas Waters around 10 in the evening.
Jukirin, together with the other 10 other Filipinos, all have no valid travel documents. Therefore, he committed a crime under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act of 2007 that carries a punishment of 15 years of jail term, fine, or both.
Jukirin also confessed to the High Court that the people he smuggled are relatives of his friends and they paid him. The defendant requested for leniency from the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement who pressed for a deterrent punishment.
During the trial, the Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) presented to the court several documents stating that they have detained a boat from the Philippines with a registration number from the country headed to Kudat from Cagayan Island.
As they went to check the boat, they found out that the passengers are not documented as they failed to provide valid travel documents.
