Kelantan opens 100 probes into illegal mining since 2024, 51 cases still under investigation

KOTA BHARU, Oct 29 — Kelantan has initiated 100 investigations into illegal mining activities since 2024, following 104 enforcement operations carried out within the same period, Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Mohamed Fadzli Hassan announced. Out of these, 51 cases remain under investigation while the remaining 49 have been resolved, according to the Deputy Menteri Besar.

All cases were scrutinized under Section 158 of the Kelantan State Minerals Enactment 2001. Mohamed Fadzli provided this information while responding to a query from Nik Bahrum Nik Abdullah (PAS-Chempaka) during a State Assembly sitting. Enforcement actions undertaken by the state government have included confiscating machinery and mining sites, dismantling illicit gold-panning equipment, arresting and prosecuting individuals involved in trespassing, and imposing higher fines and compound rates for repeat offenders.

Additionally, the government is reinforcing preventive measures by installing warning signs and conducting aerial surveillance via drones in high-risk areas. The State Land and Mines Office, in collaboration with various enforcement agencies like the police, General Operations Force, Federal Reserve Unit, Special Branch, State Forestry Department, and Department of Minerals and Geoscience, regularly carries out integrated operations at illegal mining hotspots.