A MOTHER’S use of medication to treat anxiety while pregnant is being investigated after her newborn daughter tested positive for amphetamine and benzodiazepines, Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said.
Mohd Yusoff said a urine screening on the woman detected benzodiazepines, commonly known as benzo, but found no trace of methamphetamine or other illicit substances.
He said the woman told police she had been taking the medication to manage anxiety during her pregnancy.
“The mother took it for anxiety. When we conducted the urine test, only benzo was detected, not methamphetamine or anything else,” he said.
However, Mohd Yusoff stressed that investigations were still ongoing and police had yet to establish how the baby came to test positive for two substances.
The woman has been detained to assist investigations based on the urine test results, although police have yet to determine whether she is a drug user.
Mohd Yusoff said police were also carrying out a second round of testing on the baby, with the results expected to provide further clarity on the case.
The case came to light after the five-day-old baby girl was found to have tested positive for amphetamine and benzodiazepines following a urine screening at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II (HRPZ II) on Aug 6.
The detection of the substances raised concerns as the baby was believed to have been exposed to them while still in the womb.
Mohd Yusoff said police were currently proceeding based on the test results available, including the screening conducted on the mother.
“We are investigating based on the current urine test results while waiting for the results of the second round of testing on the baby,” he said.
He said the circumstances surrounding the presence of amphetamine and benzodiazepines in the newborn had yet to be determined.
Police, he added, could not yet confirm whether the substances detected in the baby were linked to the medication taken by the mother or whether there were other factors involved.
The Kelantan Health Department had earlier said it was monitoring the baby’s condition and health development while she remained under treatment.
The case has drawn attention after the newborn, only five days old at the time, was found to have two different substances in her system, prompting further medical and police investigations.
Mohd Yusoff said police would wait for the additional test results before making any further conclusions on the case. – August 19, 2026
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