KOATA KINABALU: Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) says drug smuggling in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) remains active and is using more complex methods.
ESSCOM commander Datuk Victor Sanjos told Bernama on Sunday (April 19) that authorities had not recorded a major recent rise in cases, but they had found changes in how syndicates moved drugs in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone.
The lack of seizures in some periods did not mean the threat had ended, because traffickers had used smaller deliveries, alternate routes and covert movements to avoid detection,” he said.
Victor said syndicates had used unofficial sea routes, including rat trails, fast boats and pump boats, and had relied on runners to shield organisers.
He said remote waters in eastern Sabah had served as temporary transit points, often at night.
“Sabah’s geography had made enforcement difficult because the zone included many islands, open sea lanes and a wide area with limited assets,” he said.
He said traffickers had also disguised movements as fishing activity and had used small boats that were hard to detect.
Victor said ESSCOM had used intelligence-led enforcement and crime trend analysis to focus on high-risk areas. He said ESSCOM had worked with the police, armed forces and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency to target unofficial jetties and open border routes.
He added that ESSCOM had used hotspot targeting, arrest data, seizure values and intrusion records to assess threats.
“ESSCOM and the police had shared information with authorities in Indonesia and the Philippines to disrupt cross-border networks,” said Victor.
He said stronger assets, including interceptor boats, radar and drones, and stricter laws and asset seizure measures were needed to curb syndicates, including organisers based abroad.
Bernama reported that on March 18, police seized 53.85 kg of drugs worth nearly RM2.6mil in two cases at Kota Kinabalu International Airport and in Tawau.
Sabah Drug Prevention Organisation adviser Mohd Zaki Harry Susanto said that Sabah’s location near the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea, and its borders with the Philippines and Indonesia, had long made it a transit route for transnational drug groups. He said Semporna, Lahad Datu and Sandakan remained key maritime smuggling areas, while Tawau and Kalabakan faced risks on both sea and land routes linked to Indonesia.
Mohd Zaki said large seizures showed enforcement activity, but did not prove that supply had been reduced. He said the better measure of progress was lower drug demand, fewer new users and lower relapse rates. He also said the public should report suspicious activity and support rehabilitation efforts.
