SHAH ALAM: Gambling and brewing ketum juice during the Movement Control Order (MCO) was what 10 men did to fill their time - until they were busted by the Shah Alam police yesterday.
The men, aged between 20 and 30, were arrested in two separate operations at Section 24 about 5.30pm by the Shah Alam Criminal Investigation Department, said its district deputy police chief Superintendent Ramsay Anak Embol.
“The raiding team stormed an apartment unit and found eight men playing cards.
"The deck of cards as well as RM29 in cash were seized.
“At another nearby location, two men were detained at an empty apartment unit that was used to process ketum juice. We believe they have been operating for the past two weeks,” he said.
Ramsay said two containers used to soak leaves believed to be ketum and three bottles suspected to be filled with ketum juice were seized.
He added that the raiding team conducted further checks and found another container with soaked ketum leaves and four plastic bags of ketum leaves.
“The ketum juice was bottled and sold at RM20 each,” added Ramsay.
Ramsay said the case was being investigated under the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, Poison Act 1952 and the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the local Infected Areas) Regulations 2020.