JOHOR BARU: Police stormed unlicenced entertainment centres in a statewide sting operation, which saw 184 people arrested, with 48 of them positive for methamphetamine.
Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar said of the 48 who tested positive for drugs, 14 were local men, two were local women, four were foreign men and 28 were foreign women.
“All of them tested positive for methamphetamine,” he said in a statement.
He added that the group was arrested under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1952 for consuming drugs.
Comm M. Kumar said the operation, codenamed Ops Noda Khas, involved 137 men, including 23 senior police officers from the criminal investigation department (CID) and the narcotics crime investigation department (NCID).
“These premises are believed to have been operating without licence and hiring foreign women as guest relations officers. We also believe there are elements of drug abuse on the premises,” he said.
Of the 184 individuals arrested, 162 of them were foreigners while the remaining were locals.
Comm Kumar said one of the local men arrested was wanted for cheating.
The case is being investigated under Section 6(2) of the Johor Entertainment Places Enactment for operating without a licence and Section 11(2) of the same act for operating an entertainment centre beyond the permitted time.
The case is also being investigated under the Immigration Act for hiring foreign workers without permit and for entering the country without valid travel documents, and overstaying.
