SUNGAI BULOH, Oct 21 — Three civil servants were among 27 men detained in a raid on a premises believed to be involved in the sale and processing of ketum leaves and water here today.
National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) deputy director-general (Operations) Zainudin Abdullah said that all the individuals, aged between 19 and 61, were detained in an operation that began at 6am before being taken to the Petaling District AADK Office for documentation.
He said the premises operated daily from noon to midnight and received between 30 and 50 customers a day.
“The value of ketum sold in that location was estimated to be between RM1,000 and RM1,500 per day, with ketum water sold in a small plastic pack for RM10 and in a 1.5-litre bottle for RM20.
“Raw ketum leaves were sold at a price of between RM20 and RM40 per kilogramme (kg), while the raw material was obtained from Kedah at a price of RM12 per kg,” he said to reporters after the raid on the premises today.
Commenting further, Zainudin said the premises also offered cough syrup based on customer requests, which is believed to be used for mixing with ketum water.
He said the seized materials, including ketum leaves and ketum water, will be handed over for further investigation in collaboration with the Sungai Buloh district police headquarters (IPD).
Zainudin said that the operation was part of the Selangor-level Op Perdana, which was conducted simultaneously in six districts in the state from Monday until today to combat the activity.
He said the AADK investigation found that individual involvement in ketum abuse is increasing but following the amendment of the Drug Dependants (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983, which came into effect in August 2025, the agency is now able to take action against the abuse of the substance.
Meanwhile, an inspection of the premises located on a plot of land near the river found three large pots, each capable of boiling about 20 kg of ketum leaves at a time, while the unboiled ketum leaves were stored in an air-conditioned room to prevent them from wilting.
The premises is also equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV), in addition to having a small window and a doorbell next to the front door, which are believed to be used for buying and selling transactions. Price tags, phone numbers, and QR codes are also displayed on the wall next to the window. — Bernama