Malaysia nabs over 3,700 people in nationwide drug blitz

KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian authorities nabbed 3,724 individuals, including 618 "tokan" (drug traffickers), in raids on 113 illegal jetties and 168 drug dens nationwide.

The operation, code-named Ops Tapis 3 (Operation Filter 3), which involved 2,231 police officers and personnel, was conducted from Monday (April 18) to Wednesday.

"We seized an array of drugs including 769.49kg ketum (kratom) leaves, 526.71litres ketum water, 22.96kg syabu and 6.24kg heroin," said Commissioner Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, director of the federal police's Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID).

The drugs have a street value of RM1.01 million (S$319,000).

Some RM2.9 million of assets were seized during the operation, including a terrace house worth RM2.3 million, he said.

Thailand last year decriminalised kratom, a psychoactive plant similar to opiates that is native to tropical South-east Asian countries. Cultivating and selling kratom plants, called ketum in Malaysia, is banned in Malaysia.

Datuk Ayob said of the illegal jetties, most of those raided were in Perak with 14 jetties, followed by 12 in Sabah.

"It is imperative we bust the illegal jetties and drug dens to effectively curb drug offences. We detained 3,574 men and 150 women for various drug offences during the operation, including nine civil servants," he said.

"Three of the civil servants tested positive for drugs, while six others were in possession of ketum water," he told a press conference at Bukit Aman police headquarters on Friday (April 22).

Mr Ayob said among those arrested were two university students and four secondary school students who were in possession and tested positive for drugs.

"The youngest detainees were seven 13-year-olds, who were school dropouts," he said.

He said anti-drug operations will be conducted once a month nationwide to curb the drug menace.