Zamani (front right) and Sahar (front left) show the boxes of exhibits to be disposed of.
KUCHING: The state Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) will today (Feb 7) destroy RM137,662.20 worth of narcotics, seized between 2008 and 2016, at the Kuching Integrated Waste Management Park, Kampung Mambong in Padawan.
Sarawak contingent management department head SAC Datuk Zamani Tan Sri Hamdan Sirat said the illegal drugs weighing 899.62 grams consisted of syabu, cannabis, ketamine, ecstasy pills, erimin 5, and nospan pills.
“These are evidence from cases involving several districts namely Kuching, Kota Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Mukah and Kapit,” he told a press conference yesterday.
“The state police and NCID led by its chief Supt Sahar Abd Latif is calling on the local communities here to channel information to the police because we can combat the drug abuse problem and crime together.”
Emphasising that illicit drugs remained a problem for urban and rural areas, Zamani warned that the police would not hesitate to take strict action against drug suppliers, smugglers, or peddlers.
“We need the community, especially village chiefs, community leaders and imams to help us by reporting to the police of any suspicious activities because they should be aware of such things in their areas,” he said.
“We should act to stop, prevent and reduce drug menace in our local communities, not only in urban areas but also in small towns throughout Sarawak. Reporting will in turn help these children.”
Zamani also pointed out the problems the police face with a porous border.
“We have a huge border area covering Sabah, Brunei and Indonesia so there are a lot of ways to smuggle and for trafficking,” he said.
“We can’t possibly have police presence at every nook and cranny of Sarawak so the information from the public is very important because they help us tackle this problem.”
Sahar added that syabu remained the top most commonly used illegal drug in Sarawak based on last year’s data and reports.
“We successfully intercepted two syndicates distributing drugs across the border in 2017 where in September, 11kg worth of illegal drugs were seized in the first case and 5kg in the second case. Altogether, the drugs’ market value is estimated to worth more than RM3 million,” he said.
The state saw a drastic increase in drug arrests, seizures and related crimes last year and five minor cases under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 have been recorded to date this year.