KUALA LUMPUR: An estimated RM151 million in illicit drugs and substances were seized by the authorities in Sarawak last year, a 1,433 per cent increase from 2022.
According to a Borneo Post report, the seizures came from 7,841 enforcement actions carried out by the police, Customs Department, and the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) in the country's largest state.
The state's One-Stop Committee (OSC) to Tackle Drug and Substance Issues in Sarawak also said 48 secondary school students were among the 11,470 people arrested for drug-related offences last year.
The arrests represented a 12.04 per cent increase from 2022.
From the 11,470 arrests made, 564 people were arrested for drug peddling, 2,066 (possession), while the remaining 8,840 tested positive for drug and substance abuse.
Some 92.83 per cent (10,648) of those arrested were male. More than 50 per cent of those arrested were aged between 19 to 34.
Most of the arrests were made in Kuching, followed by Sibu, Miri, Bintulu, Kota Samarahan, and Sarikei.
The OSC is chaired by state Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
The police, Customs Department, AADK, Social Development Council as well as the health, education, prisons, and welfare departments are part of the OSC.