SIBU: A total of 195 individuals were arrested during a special Proactive Narcotics Scan Operation carried out from Jan 1 to 31 this year.
Sibu OCPD Asst Comm Zulkipli Suhaili said the month-long operation involved intensive enforcement by the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) to curb drug trafficking and abuse in the district.
“Throughout the operation, police arrested five individuals under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) 1952, three under Section 39A(2), 11 under Section 39A(1), 23 under Section 12(3), 152 drug addicts under Section 15(1)(a), and one person under Section 3(1) of the Drug Dependants (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983,” he said in a statement on Sunday (Feb 1).
He added that 14 of those arrested were foreign nationals.
According to Asst Comm Zulkipli, police also seized a total of 13,508.84g of various types of drugs, with an estimated value of RM299,392.62.
“Since the launch of the operation, 56 individuals have been charged in court, including five under Section 39B of the DDA 1952, three under Section 39A(2), 11 under Section 39A(1), 23 under Section 12(3), and nine foreign nationals under Section 15(1)(a),” he said.
ACP Zulkipli noted that offences under Section 39B of the DDA 1952 carry the mandatory death penalty by hanging upon conviction, while offences under Section 39A(2) are punishable by life imprisonment or a jail term of between five and 10 years, along with whipping.
He said offences under Section 39A(1) carry imprisonment of between two and five years, and whipping of not less than three and not more than nine strokes, while offences under Section 12(3) are punishable by a fine of up to RM100,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
For offences under Section 15(1)(a), offenders may be fined up to RM5,000 or jailed for up to two years, or both, and placed under supervision for two years. Meanwhile, offences under Section 3(1) of the Drug Dependants Act may result in detention at a rehabilitation centre or a two-year restriction order.
“The police, particularly the NCID, will continue to step up efforts to combat drug trafficking and abuse,” he said.
He also urged members of the public with information on drug-related activities to contact the JSJN hotline at 012-208 7222 (JSJN Bukit Aman) or 017-592 2211 (JSJN Sarawak).
