Johor Customs seized ketum leaves and water worth RM76,796 and arrested three people after raiding a rented factory used as a processing lab
JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor Customs Department has uncovered a syndicate using a rented factory as a ketum water processing laboratory.
The raid on the facility in Taman Kempas Utama led to seizures worth RM76,796 on Feb 27.
Its director, Aminul Izmeer Mohd Sohaimi, said the operation was conducted at 9.30 pm based on intelligence from the Customs COBRA team and Southern Zone Intelligence Branch.
Three individuals, a man believed to be the manager and two Indonesian women workers aged between 28 and 35, were detained.
“It is believed that the syndicate has been operating for about three years,” Aminul Izmeer told a media conference.
He added that the syndicate is believed to have received its supply of ketum leaves from Kedah.
The ketum water was sold to regular local customers at RM16 per 1.5-litre bottle.
Authorities seized 442.9 kilogrammes of ketum leaves and 1,642.5 litres of ketum water during the operation.
They also confiscated 200 gas cylinders, 150 cooking pots and 50 stoves, with the total estimated value of all items at RM66,991.
The department also raided a house in Kampung Kempas Denai, about two kilometres from the factory, believed to be a sales site.
Inspection there uncovered 103kg of ketum leaves and 189.50 litres of ketum water, valued at RM9,805.
All seized items have been sent to the Department of Chemistry for further analysis.
Investigations are underway to determine if the syndicate also sold the banned substances overseas.
The case is being investigated under Section 30 (3) of the Poisons Act 1952.
