SARAWAK has recorded a significant rise in drug and substance abuse arrests through intensified efforts to curb the growing threat via a holistic and coordinated approach.
Minister of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said drug- and substance-related arrests increased to 11,717 cases as of Oct 2025 — a 15.75 per cent jump from 10,122 cases in the same period last year.
“This increase is the result of strengthened enforcement, prevention, awareness and rehabilitation programmes carried out across the state,” she said in her ministerial winding up speech during the DUN Sitting today.
She said a total of 140 programmes and activities were implemented up to Oct this year, comprising 44 integrated enforcement operations, 12 programmes in educational institutions, 11 workplace-based programmes and 73 community and family interventions.
Fatimah said enhanced enforcement also led to substantial drug and substance seizures, equivalent to preventing 155,204 instances of potential use and safeguarding an estimated 51,400 individuals in just one month in Sarawak.
She added that voluntary treatment uptake also increased by 13.27 per cent, with 5,316 individuals coming forward for rehabilitation compared to 4,693 in the same period last year.
“The state has also recognised 83 individuals who successfully maintained recovery from drug addiction for five consecutive years by awarding them medallions,” she said.
Fatimah noted that Sarawak’s integrated approach has drawn international attention. During a courtesy call last month, she said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) agreed to collaborate with the state to strengthen training capacity, develop evidence-based prevention modules and build global networks to enhance the effectiveness of local interventions.
She said improvements to legal and enforcement processes are also crucial to supporting these efforts.
“To further strengthen effectiveness, the ministry proposes increasing the frequency of Circuit Court sittings to three times a month to expedite charge processes, and adding two Chemical Pathology Units in Sarawak’s Pathology Department to speed up pathology reporting for smoother prosecutions,” she said.
