KUALA LUMPUR: Police seized 4.5 tonnes of syabu (methamphetamine) worth about RM225 million this year, a significant increase compared to the total seizure from 2014 until last year which amounted to 3.6 tonnes.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department principal assistant director SAC Zulkifli Ali said this year also saw 10,214 syabu traffickers arrested.
He said the huge increase in the number of seizures was due to an increase in drug business in the Golden Triangle that is northeast of Myanmar, northern Thailand and southwest of Laos.
‘This is due to the extraordinary production from there (Golden Triangle) or in the Mekong Valley. When there is remarkable increase in production, there is continuous demand, then smuggling of drugs also doubles until police raids and seizures also double in number,” he told Bernama here recently.
He said the increase in drug production in the region also affected the increase in drug smuggling to other countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Zulkifli said the increase in the number of seizures also showed Malaysia was also a transit point for the smuggling of drugs to be taken out to other countries.
However, he said the situation was still under control despite the number of arrests and seizures showing an increase each year.
“The massive-scale drug production is a major factor why the drug problem is still rampant, not only in Malaysia, but also around the region,” he explained.
According to Zulkifli, drug syndicates will alternate with those in jail today who would re-engage in drug trafficking activities upon completion of their sentences.
“Those who have served their sentences will again be encouraged to distribute drugs to continue their survival from a lucrative source of income,” he said. --Bernama