TAWAU: Police arrested a man suspected of possessing ketum leaf powder and water in a raid on a house in Kg Pukat Tanjung Batu Laut, here, Wednesday.
The 11.20am raid was carried out by Tawau District Narcotics Crime Investigation Division (BSJND) police.
Tawau District Deputy Police Chief Supt Champin Piuh said the suspect, a local in his 30s, was detained along with the seized items.
“Further investigation revealed one sack containing seven transparent plastic packets with a powder suspected to be ketum leaf weighing 7,164gm in a room of the house.
“We also found an orange barrel containing 30 1.5-litre bottles of ketum water in the kitchen of the house,” he said.
Champin said based on the large quantity of ketum found in the house, police believed that the seized items, estimated to be worth RM3,000, were stored for distribution in the local market.
“The suspect was arrested in the living room of the house after behaving suspiciously and even tried to act aggressively when approached for a check, but he was successfully detained,” he said.
The suspect had no prior criminal record, and a urine test conducted on him also tested negative for drugs, he said.
The suspect is under remand for further investigation under Section 30(3) of the Poison Act 1952 (for unlawful possession or storage of psychotropic substances).
“We will conduct further investigations and intelligence work to identify the ketum distribution network involved and take strict action against those found to be involved,” said Champin.
