Kota Kinabalu: A 58-year-old vessel captain was sentenced to eight years in jail by the High Court here on Monday for smuggling a Filipino migrant in Kudat waters last year.
Jose Leo Tabobot Vizon pleaded guilty before Judge Datuk Celestina Stuel Galid. He was charged with smuggling a 46-year-old Filipino migrant into Malaysia between July 11 and July 13, 2025, using a vessel at Angkasa Lama jetty, Kudat.
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The charge, under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, carries a jail term of up to 20 years, a fine, or both, on conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Syarifah Nursyuhada Tuan Mamat informed the court that Immigration officers, acting under “Ops Mahir,” conducted an inspection at a premises in the Kudat Industrial Estate on August 11, 2025.
During the operation, several foreign nationals were found on two vessels, including the migrant on board one of them.
Investigations revealed that Jose, the registered captain of one vessel and responsible for another, had arranged the migrant’s journey.
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The migrant travelled from Palawan, Philippines, by boat and was later transferred at sea near Mangsee Island onto Jose’s vessel before being brought into Sabah waters.
Upon arrival at Kudat waters, the migrant was instructed by Jose to transfer to another vessel to continue working.
The second vessel later docked at a premises in the Kudat Industrial Estate for repairs, where the migrant was eventually arrested by Immigration officers.
The migrant was later charged with an immigration offence, jailed for four months from the date of arrest, and is currently detained at the Immigration Depot pending deportation.
The court heard that Jose had knowingly arranged and facilitated the migrant’s illegal entry into Malaysia using the vessels under his control.
Jose was ordered to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest.
