JOHOR BARU, March 14 — Illicit drugs shipped from Malaysia to other countries are not made locally, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said today.
He said these were produced in the region’s Golden Triangle by drug syndicates that used Malaysia as a transshipment hub to supply countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea.
“Malaysia is becoming a transit drug hub for the syndicates, but there is no way that the country is producing narcotics for export,” he told reporters after officiating the Marine Police Force’s rigid hull assault boat (RHAB) at the Berjaya Waterfront Hotel here today.
Also present were the Marine Police Force commander Senior Assistant Commissioner Norzaid Mohamad Said and Johor police chief M. Kumar.
Based on police raids last year, Razarudin said only 20 small-scale drug processing laboratories were discovered, which did not generate enough to supply other countries.
“If we say that we are a country that produces and exports drugs, I do not agree. The amount that is produced by the laboratories here is indeed very low and intended for domestic markets,” he said.
On the newer illicit synthetic drugs, Razarudin said drugs such as fentanyl have yet to enter the country.
Fentanyl is a synthesised opioid that is magnitudes more addictive than heroin and which has been blamed for a new addiction crisis in several countries including the US.
“Traditional narcotics such as syabu, yaba pills, cannabis and heroin that is brought in from the Golden Triangle are still the choice of addicts,” he said in reference to the notorious illicit drug region covering parts of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos,
However, Razarudin said authorities must be on guard against fentanyl usage, as previous trends showed that narcotics popular in the West would eventually appear in Malaysia.
Malaysia is a major transit point for the smuggling of heroin and other illegal narcotics in Asia and Oceania.
