GEORGE TOWN: Birthday parties held at a serviced apartment here, which saw attendance of 20 people, including several underaged kids, came to a halt after police raided two units last night.
At the first premises at Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah about 10.30pm, police detained eight male and three female students, aged between 13 and 17, of which six were tested positive for drugs.
Police also seized about 2gm of ketamine at the unit.
The teens who are being remanded for four days claimed that they were there for a birthday party.
Northeast district police chief Assistant Commissioner Soffian Santong confirmed the arrests and said that the case was being investigated under Section 12(3) and 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
"They are also investigated under Rules 7 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020 (Regulation)," he said today.
In the second raid minutes later, police found seven men and two women, aged between 14 and 20, including three school students, purportedly attending a birthday party at another premises.
However, no drugs were found and they were all tested negative for drugs.
"We issued a compound to the nine under Rules 7 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020 (Regulation)," he added.
In a separate case, 16 people, including two women, were fined for gathering in groups at a restaurant at a shopping mall in Persiaran Gurney while consuming liquor.
Soffian said that action was taken according to Rules 7 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020 (Regulation).