83 DRUG TRAFFICKERS BANISHED, PROPERTY WORTH RM1.6M SEIZED

PENANG: Eighty-three traffickers have been arrested under the Dangerous
Drugs Act (Special preventive laws) 1952 in the state in the first nine
months this year and were banished, state CID chief Senior Asst Comm II
Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said yesterday.

"The police also seized more than RM1.6mil worth of property comprising
houses, jewellery and vehicles, which were bought using money obtained from
the sale of illicit drugs, from the traffickers.

He added: "A total of 406 drug pushers and traffickers were also charged
under Section 39A and Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 during
the same period."

Later, he witnessed the incineration of drugs accumulated over the past
five years at the Penang Municipal Council's incineration plant in Jalan
Gurdwara.

SAC Syed Ismail said these drugs exhibits, which were seized between 1999
and 2004, were from 978 cases which had been settled in court.

He said between January and September this year, the department seized more
than 173kg of ganja, heroin (49kg), opium (45kg), syabu (1kg) and 22,297
psychotropic pills.

"Drug addicts numbering 5,680 were also rounded up during this period. Most
of them had since been put under police supervision or sent to the various
drug rehabilitation centres," he said.

SAC Syed Ismail said there would be no let-up in the anti-drug operations,
adding that the police were working with other government agencies to rid
the state of drugs.

"Among the high profile cases were the seizures of 11 pistols with 407
rounds of ammunition after the state narcotics department busted five major
drug laboratories in the state last year," he said.