PADANG BESAR: The 1st Battalion of the General Operations Force (GOF) in Ulu Kinta, Perak, seized more than 1.7 tonnes of ketum leaves in eight separate seizures during the Op Wawasan Kedah/Perlis that began on Tuesday (Dec 10) and ended today.
GOF Northern Brigade commander SAC Abdul Ghani Mohamad Ji in statement today said that the first seizure was on Tuesday at 6.30am at a shack behind a house in Felda Rimba Mas.
“From inspections,10 white sacks and seven black plastic bags filled with ketum leaves weighing 330 kg worth RM49,500 were seized and a local man was detained,“ he said.
The second raid was at a rubber estate in Felda Mata Ayer at 4.59pm and the third seizure was at KTJ PB 10 at 7.30pm, also on the same day.
GOF successfully seized eight white sacks containing 240 kg of ketum leaves worth RM36,000 at Felda Mata Ayer and 45 kg ketum leaves worth RM6,750 at the Malaysian-Thailand border.
He said in the fourth raid on Thursday Dec 12 at about 6am, GOF officers were patrolling at KTJ PB 11 near Padang Besar Business Arcade parking lot when they saw a group of men loading off white sacks.
Realising police presence, the group of men escaped and left behind five white sacks filled with 125 kg ketum leaves valued at RM18,750.
In an earlier seizure on the same day, at about 5am, the GOF found 50 black plastic packets filled with ketum leaves weighing 500 kg, worth RM75,500, at a rubber estate near Padang Besar industrial area here.
The sixth and seventh seizures took place on Friday Dec 13, in which the GOF seized 12 white sacks containing 300 kg of ketum leaves worth RM45,000 left in a tent in Kampung Kok Mat at 10pm, and one white sack containing 30kg ketum leaves worth RM4,500 left inside a Proton Satria car at a rubber estate in Kampung Kolam at 5.30pm.
The eighth seizure happened at about 4.45am today at a school here in which seven white sacks of ketum leaves weighing 210 kg worth RM31,500 were seized checks on a Honda CRV car with Thailand registration numbers.
Abdul Ghani said all cases were investigated under Section 30(3) of the Poisons Act 1952 and handed over to the Padang Besar district police headquarters for further action.
Meanwhile the GOF thwarted an attempt to smuggle illegal immigrants into the country, comprising eight individuals, including four women, aged 19 to 54, believed to be Myanmar nationals, and also a local man, aged 50-year old, was also detained. - Bernama
