Police swooped on a restaurant in Labuan and arrested nine Chinese nationals working illegally, along with a local woman believed to be running the operation.

The raid was carried out on February 5 after a tip-off, with officers moving in on the premises in Labuan town.

Labuan police chief Mohd Hamizi Halim said officers found seven men and two women from China working as waiters and cooks without valid permits.

“Checks found that all the foreign workers did not have valid work permits and had been working at the premises since July 2025,” he said.

A local woman was also arrested and is believed to have been acting as the restaurant’s manager.

All the foreign workers were aged between 18 and 53, police said.

Officers seized documents during the raid to assist investigations, with the case being probed under the Immigration Act and immigration regulations.

“All suspects have been remanded until February 9 to allow further investigations to be carried out,” Mohd Hamizi said.

Police said investigations are still ongoing.

Mohd Hamizi urged members of the public to come forward with information on criminal activity.

“The public is advised to channel any information related to crime to the police for further action,” he said.