SARATOK: Police here arrested 10 men in a series of operations between Oct 9 and 11 for drug-related offences.
Saratok District police chief DSP Mathew Maggie said the arrests were made during Ops Tapis Khas and Ops Bersepadu Cegah Jenayah.
He said during Ops Tapis Khas in the town here and Kabong/Roban areas on Oct 9, four men aged between 32 and 47 were detained after testing positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine during urine screening.
“The operation, conducted by a special task force from the District Crime Prevention and Community Safety Division, and personnel from the Saratok, Kabong, and Roban police stations, was carried out to identify and apprehend drug users and distributors in Saratok area,” he said in a recent statement.
All four suspects are being investigated under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
The following day, on Oct 10, a 42-year-old man was arrested during a roadblock along Saratok-Kuching of the Pan Borneo Highway under Ops Bersepadu Cegah Jenayah/Ops Tapis Khas.
Mathew said the man also tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine and is being investigated under Section 15(1)(a) of the same Act.
On Oct 11, five more men aged between 28 and 40 were arrested in various locations in Saratok, Kabong and Roban during another Ops Tapis Khas operations based on public tip-offs regarding drug abuse and trafficking.
“All five suspects tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine during urine tests,” he said.
He added that among the suspects was a 40-year-old man with six prior narcotics records, and was found in possession of five transparent packets believed to contain Nospan pills.
“Another suspect, aged 28, also had two previous narcotics-related records,” he said, while adding that another suspect, aged 39, was found carrying a folding knife and brass knuckles.
Investigations are being carried out under Section 30(3) of the Poisons Act 1952, Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, and Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958.
