Drugs in fake drink packets an alarming trend – police

KUALA LUMPUR: Police warned of the growing threat that is illegal narcotics hidden in innocuous drink packets, saying syndicates may start making these available to unsuspecting consumers to hook new and young addicts.

Federal Narcotics Crime Investigations Department director Commissioner Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh said fake packaged drinks seized during police raids showed an alarming trend among drug syndicates using such tactics to avoid detection.

“Our raids in entertainment centres and wild parties showed that drugs are supplied in various state such as powder, liquid and pill form consumed mostly by teenagers.

“This is a new threat the country is currently facing and the reality we faced since 2016,” he said at a press conference in Bukit Aman yesterday.

Mohamad said the police have identified 30 generic and household beverage brands so far that were commonly seized by police during drug busts.

The list included prominent beverage brands that manufacture powdered and flavoured drinks.

“We want the public to be aware of such modus operandi used by drug syndicates to market their drugs by tampering with the drink packaging.

“Check each package before purchasing it to see whether it has been deliberately altered,” he added the police would provide a more detailed statistical data on entertainment center raids at a later date.

He described the menace as worrying as it could begin spreading beyond the party scene to which it is still currently limited, saying it could spread to unsuspecting children through the sale of such beverages in the market.

“If we do not monitoring, these repackaged drinks could be sold near schools, factory cafeterias or anywhere else.”

“We will definitely have a discussion with the beverage manufacturers to determine how we can improve in terms of product packaging further because such tampering has tainted their brand name,” he said.