JELI – Police arrested a 25-year-old man for carrying 560kg of ketum leaves in his car along the road in Kg Pasir Dusun here on Thursday.
Jeli district police chief Saari Yaacob said the man was apprehended at 10.30am after police personnel were forced to chase the suspect’s Proton Preve for 15km.
“Earlier, the suspect, an unemployed, was flagged down for driving in a suspicious manner.
“Policemen who were conducting Ops Tapis later identified themselves and ordered the suspect to stop by the roadside but the young man sped off in his vehicle instead,” he said in a media conference at Jeli district police headquarters here today.
Saari said after being pursued for a while, the man got out of the car and ran but was nabbed by police personnel.
“Through an inspection of the rear seat and boot of the car, police found 56 black plastic bags of ketum leaves weighing 560kg worth RM5,680.
“Apart from the leaves, police also recovered 1,000ml of ketum water and 100ml of cough syrup,” he said.
He said investigation found that the suspect has two past records, including one related to transporting ketum leaves from Sik, Kedah for the Tanah Merah market.
“The suspect also tested positive for methamphetamine and is now remanded for four days from Thursday and is (being) investigated under Section 12 (3) and Section 15(1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and Section 30 of the Poisons Act 1952,” he said. – Bernama, March 26, 2023