KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 — Police busted a syndicate involved in processing and selling ketum (Mitragyna speciosa) drinks, with two students and a civil servant among the 12 who were caught in Jalan Setiawangsa.

Wangsa Maju district police chief, Supt Rajab Ahad Ismail, said the suspects aged 19-45 were apprehended in front of a shop with no number at around 11pm on December 30.

He said that upon inspection, police found "14 plastic bottles and 260 packets containing 281 litres of suspected air ketum, 63 bottles (or over 5 litres) of suspected cough mixture, eight plastic bags of suspected ketum leaves weighing 8kg and cash totalling RM700. The value of the seizure was RM7,000”.

He said the urine test on all the suspects was negative and that the case would be investigated under Section 12 (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and Section 30 (3) of the Poisons Act 1952.

Separately, Rajab said 12 busts were conducted in Wangsa Maju last year with "36 men and a local woman arrested, and 471 litres of air ketum, 8,000gm of ketum leaves and 7,070 millilitres of cough mixture seized”.

He added that there are a few traders hiding the processing and selling of air ketum behind retail businesses.

He said that there is a problem of re-offending therefore the police will propose that action be taken under Section 3 (1) of the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985. — Bernama