SERI ISKANDAR, March 6 — Police have crippled a ketum juice operation run by a married couple, that had targeted local university students here for the past two years.  

Acting on a public tip-off, police raided a house in Seri Iskandar and arrested a 58-year-old man, his 41-year-old Indonesian wife, and their 41-year worker as the trio were bottling the substance at 5.30pm on Sunday.

Police seized 133 bottles of ketum juice, 4kg of ketum leaves, as well as over 500 empty plastic bottles and equipment used to process and package the liquid during the raid. The seized items are estimated to worth about RM5,000.

Perak Tengah police chief Supt Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said the couple were able to sell around RM15,000 worth of ketum juice per month, thanks to the business they received from the student population in Seri Iskandar.

"The rented house was their home as well as the processing centre, where they would cook the juice and sell it,” Mohamad Zainal told a press conference.

"It was a low-cost operation, as they only paid RM350 for the house rental and RM1,500 for their worker’s wages.

"They could sell between 100 to 150 bottles per day. Because of the low costs, we believe they took back 80 per cent of the money they earned in a month.”

Mohamad Zainal said the suspects allegedly obtained their supply of ketum leaves from Titi Gantung, Jejawi, and Sungai Buaya in Seri Iskandar.

He said police were tracking down the operation’s suppliers as the investigation continued.

Mohamad Zainal said the 58-year-old man had been previously convicted of a ketum-related offence in June 2017, for which he had been fined RM2,500.

"He was also caught for a second offence last November, but he had not been charged yet, as we were waiting for the results of a chemical test,” he added.

The trio have been remanded for four days, starting from March 4 to 8.

The case is being investigated under Section 30(3) of the Poisons Act, which prevents any person from importing, exporting, manufacturing, compounding, mixing, dispensing, selling, supplying, administering, possessing or using any psychotropic substance otherwise than in accordance with any regulations applicable under the Act.

Those convicted of the offence are liable to a fine not exceeding RM10,000 or up to four years in jail, or both.

Mohamad Zainal said police were concerned about the spread of ketum use among students in Seri Iskandar.

Seri Iskandar is known as a university town, and is home to several institutions of higher learning including Universiti Teknologi Petronas and Universiti Teknologi MARA Seri Iskandar.

"We’re disturbed by this turn of events. While investigating previous ketum cases, we also learned that the consumption of ketum is quite prevalent among the students here,” Mohamad Zainal said.

Mohd Zainal advised the people of Perak Tengah, especially its student population, not to get involved with the consumption of ketum juice.

"It is an unhealthy activity, and those found in possession of this substance can face court action under the Poisons Act,” he said.