JOHOR BARU: A suspected drug addict, cruising toward a notorious drug hotspot in an oil palm plantation in Masai, here, tried to reel in authorities with a fishy excuse – claiming he was 'going fishing' but without a single rod or bait in sight.
He was among 25 suspected addicts detained in a joint operation between the National Anti-Drugs Agency (NADA) and police, today.
The 40-year-old was riding towards the drug den, identified among several hotspots in Masai, when he was questioned.
He was eventually detained when his 'excuse' was deemed a lie.
State Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon who participated in the operation said checks in the estate were made to ensure suspected drug addicts were rehabilitated, while drug hotspots were cleared of illicit activities.
Among the 25 detained, 17 were detained at make-shift drug dens in the oil palm estate, which included a woman and an Indonesian man. They were aged between 20 and 60.
Eight men were detained during a door-to-door inspection under Ops Cegah following public tip-offs.
Ling said the NADA enforcement officers mounted surveillance and noticed a recurring pattern, where the suspects headed towards the make-shift dens for a quick-fix before continuing with their work at the oil palm plantation.
"There was evidence of drug-abuse…drug-related paraphernalia, including lighters, plastic sachets, straws containing traces of suspected illicit substances, and aluminum foils were strewn all over," he said.
Ling said the state-government is committed to combat drug abuse, and had allocated RM1.3million towards the effort.
Between Jan 6 and March 6 this year, NADA detained 377 suspected drug-addicts aged between 18 and 45, while 1,424 addicts were detained for the whole of last year.