MERSING: Eleven foreign fishermen have been detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for suspected drug use.
Mersing zone MMEA director Maritime Cmdr Suhaizan Saadin said the suspects were on a boat when enforcement officials approached them during a border patrol operation in Mersing waters at 11.35pm on Wednesday (March 27).
“The men – six from Laos, three from Indonesia and two from Cambodia – were detained after urine tests showed all of them were positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine,” he said in a statement on Thursday (March 28).
“The 11 suspects, aged 22 to 43, were brought to the Mersing zone maritime office for investigation under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952,” he said, adding that continuous checks would be conducted to monitor maritime activities.
During the operation, Suhaizan said 20 other fishing boats were checked where 45 fishermen tested negative for drugs.
He urged anyone with information on suspected illegal activities to notify the authorities via MERS999 or the Johor maritime operations centre at 07-219 9404.
