JOHOR BARU: Police have arrested 13 commercial lorry drivers who tested positive for drugs while on the job.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said random checks were conducted at various locations statewide from midnight until 8am on Thursday (Sept 21).
Throughout that period, 730 vehicles were checked, he said.
“From there, we arrested 15 lorry drivers, where 13 of them failed their urine test for drugs while the other two were on the police wanted list for criminal and traffic offences.
“This shows that there are still many commercial lorry drivers - who also were often described as ‘pilot darat’ (land pilots) - flouting the law.
“This issue has often been raised by many as it concerns public safety,” he said in a statement.
Those arrested, aged 22 to 48 years old, were detained under Section 15(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Comm Kamarul Zaman added that a total of 210 traffic summonses were also issued to motorists for various traffic offences, including overload, during the operations.
“The issue of safety is a serious one and there will be no double standards or selective enforcement on our part as we will not hesitate to take actions against anyone who goes against the law,” he added.
