KUALA LUMPUR: Syndicates smuggling illegal immigrants into the country are believed to be arming themselves with pistols and rifles to protect their operations and confront enforcement personnel attempting to foil their activities in Malaysian waters.

This has made efforts by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to curb the smuggling increasingly challenging, as the syndicates are believed to be prepared to use force to prevent their routes and operations from being disrupted.

The threat posed by the smugglers was highlighted last week when an MMEA personnel was killed and three others injured in a collision during a special operation to intercept a boat suspected of carrying illegal immigrants off Kuala Sungai Padang, Perlis.