MERSING: Armed Forces personnel have arrested 12 Indonesian illegal immigrants who were hiding in the jungle in Tenggaroh near here.

The immigrants, all men aged from 19 to 45, were arrested at about 6.15am on Tuesday (Feb 8).

In a statement, the Armed Forces said they acted on information from villagers and a quick reaction force team was deployed to the jungle, which is under the jurisdiction of the Seventh Brigade of the Malaysian Infantry.

“The team detected suspicious human movement in the jungle at 5am.

“The team also found a bag believed to be left by other illegal immigrants who managed to escape.

“The bag contained cannabis and methamphetamine,’’ the Armed Forces said in a statement.

It added that the immigrants were brought to the Tanjung Sepang tactical headquarters for documentation.

They were then sent to the Sungai Rengit health clinic in Pengerang, near Kota Tinggi for Covid-19 screening and tested negative.

A police report was lodged at Sungai Ambat police station on illegal entry while another report was made at Bayu Damai police station in Pengerang related to the drugs.

The Armed Forces said the team also seized RM1,007.80 from the immigrants who were later handed over to the Immigration Department.

“The QRF team, Armed Forces drone team and the Navy have been mobilised to track any remaining immigrants who could be hiding in nearby areas,” it added.