MIRI, April 11 ― Police in Malaysia and Singapore have detected new tactics used by cross-border drug traffickers in the region which is to smuggle and distribute drugs through the Internet.
Bukit Aman Narcotics CID director Datuk Seri Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said, distribution tactics of drug traffickers are changing, from using land or sea to transport drug cargo using individuals who are easily duped to become drug traffickers, without realising they are ‘drug mules’ and their latest tactic is to use the Internet.
“They (drug traffickers) have their own website and they are also using Facebook, I cannot reveal details because it could interfere with investigations,” he told reporters after the 64th bilateral meeting of the Narcotics Division in Bukit Aman and Central Narcotics Bureau of Singapore here today.
Also attending the press conference was the director of the Central Narcotics Bureau of Singapore, Ng Ser Song.
Mokhtar said the meeting was to discuss strategies to deal with the latest trend in drug smuggling, to study the possibility of strengthening the existing legislation and to improve co-operation on both sides.
He said within the past two years (2015 and 2016) both enforcement agencies arrested 27 suspects believed to be involved in drug trafficking through a joint operation and seized drugs worth RM25 million.
Regarding drug arrests in Malaysia, he said from January to March this year, 49,082 people were arrested for various offences, namely distributing, possessing and drug addiction.
“As many as 2,064 foreign nationals have been arrested in the same period,” he said, adding that police seized various types of drugs worth RM77.74 million in the same period.
Drugs seized included methamphetamine, ketamine, ecstasy, eramin 5, syabu and ganja.
Various types of arms were also confiscated, including homemade rifles and pistols plus 470 rounds of live bullets, he said. ― Bernama
