DRUG SMUGGLING, MARITIME MOBILITY, AND ENFORCEMENT CHALLENGES IN SABAH’S BORDER SECURITY GOVERNANCE

Abstract

Drug smuggling along Sabah's maritime border remains one of Malaysia's most complex transnational security challenges. This vulnerability is driven by the state's extensive coastline, dispersed island communities, porous maritime boundaries, numerous informal sea routes, and strategic proximity to Indonesia and the southern Philippines, all of which facilitate illicit cross-border movement and complicate maritime law enforcement. Despite intensified enforcement efforts, limited research has examined how Sabah's maritime geography shapes drug smuggling vulnerability and influences the operational responses of border enforcement agencies. This study addresses this gap by investigating how Sabah’s unique maritime geography structures opportunities for transnational drug trafficking and how enforcement agencies interpret, adapt to, and respond to these spatial security challenges. Using a qualitative case study approach, this study integrates document analysis with semi-structured interviews involving enforcement officers and key informants from major Malaysian maritime and border security agencies, including the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM), Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM), Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM), and the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM). The findings reveal that drug smuggling in Sabah is not driven solely by enforcement deficiencies. Rather, it is structurally enabled by the state's vast maritime space, informal laluan tikus (rat trails), the mobility of small vessels, geographical concealment, time-based evasion strategies, and persistent cross-border maritime connectivity. Collectively, these conditions reduce the effectiveness of enforcement coverage, blur the distinction between legitimate and illicit maritime movement, and enable smuggling networks to adapt rapidly in response to changing patrol patterns and enforcement operations. This study extends the literature on maritime border security, border governance, and maritime criminology by conceptualising drug smuggling in Sabah as a challenge of spatially constrained governance rather than merely an enforcement deficit. The findings provide practical guidance for strengthening maritime surveillance, intelligence-led enforcement, inter-agency coordination, border community engagement, and regional security cooperation across archipelagic and coastal border regions.