Abang Johari (centre) during the press conference. Also seen are Fatimah (left), Dr Sim (second left), Ayob (second, right) and Khaw. — Photo by Faisal Ahmad
KUCHING (Oct 8): The Nucleus Narcotics Secretariat (SNN) to be housed at the Tebedu police station will receive a funding of US$750,000 from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), said Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.
He also revealed the initiative is being spearheaded by the international division of the Bukit Aman police, with a mission to strengthen security at the border.
“The creation of the office in Tebedu is to enhance Malaysia’s capability to monitor its border with Indonesia and curb narcotics activities in the region.
“The Sarawak state government has also contributed by providing three Hilux vehicles to bolster border patrol efforts as well,” he said in a press conference at a local hotel here today.
Ayob also expressed confidence the SNN would play a vital role in monitoring and curbing the flow of drugs across the Malaysia-Indonesia border.
“The SNN will focus on monitoring border areas and Tebedu is seen as an ideal location for now. However, we may expand the initiative to other parts of Sarawak in the future,” he said, adding that currently, SNN offices are already operational in Kelantan, Sabah, Kedah and Perak, primarily their border areas.
On the efforts to monitor and curb drugs in the state, he said there are 13 districts in Sarawak with no narcotics infrastructure in place and a special position might be created in these districts.
“To address this, the police are considering restructuring efforts and creating new positions across the state’s districts to bolster anti-narcotics measures. With the introduction of new positions in all districts, we hope to tackle the drug issue more effectively across Sarawak,” he said.
He also expressed his gratitude to the Sarawak government for its continued support, and said the state has been instrumental in providing facilities to help the police tackle drug-related issues.
Earlier this year in March, Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Khaw Kok Chin said the SNN would be established in Tebedu soon, and would act as an information and liaison centre between local agencies and their counterparts in the exchange of information related to drug smuggling.
Meanwhile, in a separate press conference at the same venue, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg announced plans to install more modern drug detection equipment at all airports in Sarawak.
He said this was part of the state government’s efforts to enhance control and inspections at every entry point to prevent drug smuggling, and noted Sarawak had become a transit point for drug trafficking before being smuggled into neighbouring countries.
“To address this, there is a growing need to install advanced detection systems at all Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security complexes across the state.
“We need to use effective detection tools because drug traffickers are quite clever and they may hide drugs in unexpected forms, so the technology we use must be the latest,” said Abang Johari.
He said there was a need for Sarawak to help enforcement agencies such as Customs, Immigration and the police, which was why the state was purchasing all the equipment.
“These combined efforts by both federal and state authorities aim to strengthen Sarawak’s fight against drug trafficking, making the state a more secure and vigilant region in the ongoing war on drugs,” said Abang Johari.
Earlier, both Abang Johari and Ayob attended the inauguration of a Special Narcotics Forum at the hotel.
Also present were Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah and Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata.
