14 students nabbed in drug raid

They were in school uniforms when police swoop on suspected drug den

BINTULU: Eighteen youngsters were arrested and 286 pills, believed to be drugs, were seized by narcotics police in a 9.10am raid at a low-cost housing area in Tanjung Kidurong yesterday.

DANGEROUS: The pills that were seized from the youngsters.

Acting police chief DSP Porniman Margiman in a press conference held at Bintulu police headquarters yesterday said of the 18, 14 are students and the rest school leavers. Twelve are girls.

According to him, the operation was headed by Insp Khairul Nizam Abdul Ghani following a public tip-off.

The police party found 11 youngsters gathered in a guestroom and seven more, all schoolgirls, in another room.

The police also found 26 transparent packets with 11 tablets inside each of them.

“There were three packets inside a cigarette box and 23 packets inside an ‘ang pow’ envelope,” said Porniman, adding that the pills could be sold for RM10 per packet in the local market.

He said police believed one of those arrested, the owner of the house, was a pusher and he was among those remanded along with 13 others who were found drug positive after a urine test. Of the 13, eight  are female and five are male students.

Five students were released when their urine tested negative.

Porniman said all the students, some of whom were still in their school uniforms and carrying their school bags, were from a nearby secondary school. Their parents had been informed or their arrest.

“We are very concerned about this incident since it involves students who still have a long journey in life, yet they skipped lesson and got involved in drugs.

“Parents should pay more attention to the activities of their children,” he said, adding that in the present case he found it strange that a mother of one of those arrested was actually in the house, but apparently unbothered by the goings-on in the house.

According to Porniman, some of the students arrested were caught for consuming Syabu last week.

He said the police would be looking for the real culprit behind these students.

“We believe there is someone behind this who is the supplier of drugs to the local market. We are going to investigate thoroughly and holistically this case,” he stressed.