Teacher held for growing ganja

Nipped in the bud: ACP Md Tahir (right) showing the seized marijuana plants during a press conference at the Selangor police headquarters in Shah Alam.

SHAH ALAM: A primary schoolteacher with interest in gardening has been growing more than just flowers in a house in Kampung Melayu, Sungai Buloh.

He was among four men arrested for growing marijuana behind the house.

Police who raided the house around 3.50pm on Tuesday, following a tip-off from the public, saw the four men in the midst of smoking the drug in the house.

Selangor Narcotics CID chief Asst Comm Md Tahir Kassim said the teacher, from a primary school in Selangor, and three of his friends have been growing the plants behind the house for about eight months.

“We found 31 plants at various stages of maturity, including one that was about eight feet (2.4m) tall.

“We are still checking to see if they were growing these plants for their own consumption or for distribution,” he said during a press conference at the Selangor police headquarters yesterday.

ACP Md Tahir said two others are businessmen while the last man is unemployed.

“The unemployed man has three previous criminal records, including a drug-related offence,” he added.

Along with the plants, police also seized 914g of processed marijuana and various drug paraphernalia. All four men, aged 34 to 45, tested positive for drugs and have been remanded until Oct 7.

In an unrelated case, police arrested two men, aged 50 and 57, in possession of heroin outside a mall in Sunway around 10.30pm on Tues­day.

ACP Md Tahir said police seized about 2.2kg of the drugs, believed to be worth around RM47,000, from a backpack belonging to one of them.

“We believe that they were looking to sell the drugs when we apprehended them,” he said.

The two men have been remanded until Oct 6.