Jobless man with 4WD caught distributing ketum leaves
TELUK INTAN: He claims to be jobless but is often seen driving around in a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
Acting on a tip-off, police spotted the jobless man emerging from his house with six garbage bags in tow.
When they stopped him for inspection, they found ketum leaves in the bags harvested from his garden in Chenderong Balai, about 20km from here.
Hilir Perak OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Marzhuki Mohd Mokhtar said the suspect, in his 40s, was caught red-handed with the ketum leaves, worth RM2,695, on Wednesday.
“He was about to load the leaves, weighing about 76.5kg, onto his 4WD.
“We believe he was going to transport the leaves to potential buyers outside the district.
“Initial investigations showed the suspect has been growing and distributing ketum leaves for the past three months,” he told reporters yesterday.
ACP Mohd Marzhuki said the case was being investigated for packaging, labelling and storing of poisons under Section 9 of the Poisons Act.
On another matter, he said 14 people were rounded up for various drug offences, including a 30-year-old suspected trafficker, during a five-hour special operation at a plantation here on Thursday.
“All the suspects, aged between 25 and 47, tested positive for morphine.
“We also seized a stolen motorcycle, two walkie-talkies and drugs such as heroin, syabu and cannabis,” he said.