NILAI: The Customs Department is in the process of purchasing 20 sniffer dogs and three backscatter scanning machines to ensure more effective efforts in combating drug smuggling activities in the country.
Its deputy director-general (Enforcement and Compliance) Datuk Sazali Mohamad said his team will receive the dogs of the Labrador and German Shepherd breeds, involving a cost of RM1.9 million, in June.
"Currently, the customs department has 20 drug detection dogs, and the additional 20 dogs will be placed in each state.
"As for the costs of the backscatter machines, I do not have the detailed information," he said at a press conference held at the Narcotics Branch here today.
He said the department was also in the process of studying the detection system used in South Korea, saying that it hoped that the system used will be a scanning machine that has the ability of Artificial Intelligence to detect drugs.
He said the scanning system used in South Korea, all parcels are screened and their images sent to a group of customs officers working in a control room.
He said about 20 customs officers working in the control room will identify on the screen provided the images of the goods sent by couriers, and if they find any suspicious goods, the courier company involved will be called in for further inspection of the items.
Sazali said the department recorded 139 cases of seizure of narcotics worth RM29.5 million in the first quarter of this year involving five types of drugs, and drugs brought in via courier services represented 73 per cent of all drugs seized.
There were 27 cases of methamphetamine, involving a value of RM27 million; heroin (five cases, RM594,652); ecstasy (seven cases, RM586,395); ganja (56 cases, RM282,545); and ketamine (two cases, RM231,345).
Sazali said the JKDM busted three cases of drug smuggling and distribution involving 70kg of drugs, worth more than RM2.4 million, for the period April 7 to 23.
From these three cases, it is estimated that over 350,000 individuals were saved from drug abuse, he said.
They are being investigated under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.– Bernama