An Indonesian man suspected of being the leader of a human smuggling ring was nabbed by the Malaysian authorities on Wednesday morning and will be handed over to Singapore early next week.
The 41-year-old, known only as "Botak", allegedly smuggled illegal immigrants by boat through the Straits of Johor - a trip of between 400m and 600m that takes about a minute.
The police believe he dropped them off at places in the north-eastern part of Singapore, including Pulau Ubin and Punggol Barat. Each illegal immigrant is believed to pay smugglers between $500 and $2,000 to enter the country.
Singapore had issued a warrant of arrest for the man, who is also a Malaysian permanent resident. He will be charged with five counts of abetting illegal immigrants to enter Singapore unlawfully.
He is the second syndicate leader to be caught this year.
"With the arrest of Botak, the police Coast Guard has neutralised seven syndicate leaders or key members involved in illegal human smuggling activities in the last 18 months," said Mr Sam Tee, deputy commander, Police Coast Guard.
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