PUTRAJAYA, May 13 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today said that the number of drug users nationwide has dropped by approximately 10.5 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the previous period.

Speaking at a press conference after his ministry's monthly assembly here, he said the drop in the first quarter was largely driven by a decline in cases reported in Kelantan.

"This is closely linked to the fact that we have shut down illegal entry points, the ‘jalan tikus’, which were a major channel for drug entry. So it's highly correlated,” he said, referring to the uncharted border tracks.

"As you know, we launched an enforcement campaign and intensified awareness programmes because the data shows that four states near the border are the most affected,” he added, describing Kelantan, Pahang, Kedah and Perlis.

Saifuddin said the National Anti-Drugs Agency has since stepped up awareness and education programmes involving all stakeholders while strengthened border control to tackle the issue.

The 10.5 per cent decrease reflects a drop from 121,170 cases reported in the first quarter of last year to 108,409 drug users and abusers in the same period this year. Saifuddin said his target is to further reduce the number to 60,000.

In his speech directed at Home Ministry's officers, he explained that following the crackdown on all "jalan tikus” along the Sungai Golok stretch, several immediate effects were observed.

"I was in Kelantan last week, was there any impact? The answer is yes. The first effect is that the number of people crossing through unofficial entry points has dropped significantly. Another impact is that the entertainment industry on the southern side [of Thailand] has declined by about 85 per cent.

"When we shut the route through Sungai Golok, they started entering through Kedah instead. But our narcotics division was on alert, which is why we've ramped up operations significantly,” he said.

Saifuddin said AADK is currently collaborating with the National Geospatial Centre and the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation to develop an integrated, spatial-based reporting and analysis application for AADK services under the Malaysia Drug Profiling System.

"The raw data we've analysed helps us make projections, what we call a predictive model. We can forecast and predict which areas on the map are likely to see a rise in cases, and we also need to assess the type of treatment or intervention we've applied in those areas.

"For example, the data we've analysed identifies five districts with the highest number of drug abuse cases. These include Pendang, Kuala Krai, followed by Pasir Puteh and then Tanah Merah. These districts top the list in terms of cases per hundred thousand population,” he said.

Saifuddin also shared ministry statistics from two weeks ago, showing that offences under Section 15(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 serve as an enabler for 28 other crimes, including robbery, armed robbery, and corruption, among others.

"So you analyse the data and develop a predictive model. And through that model, even if something hasn’t happened yet, we can predict that it might happen in the future. That way, we can come up with a mitigation plan in advance,” he added.