KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 — Syndicates are using children to sell drugs in the small town of Kunak on Sabah's east coast, police said.
Last Saturday, Kunak police caught a 12-year-old boy at his Kampung Jaya Baru home holding six packets of drugs weighing some 0.7g, The Star daily reported today.
Also found in the house was RM60 in cash, believed to be proceeds from drug sales.
“The boy was sitting on the sofa with a plastic bag containing the packets when our men went in,” Kunak police chief Supt Mohd Nasaruddin Nasir was quoted saying.
He said the boy who had just sat for his UPSR examinations remained at home while the parents went out for work, adding that it is believed that the boy had been helping a syndicate sell drugs for around a year.
“As he is underage, we have released him,” he said.
In Malaysia, those below the age of 18 are considered to be minors or underaged.
Earlier this month, Kunak police had also nabbed a 16-year-old boy for selling drugs in the town, which reportedly has an estimated population of only 60,000 people.
“We believe they are using underage children to become pushers,” Mohd Nasaruddin was quoted saying further.
He added that police are working to identify those in the drug syndicates.
