PETALING JAYA: The scarcity of hard drugs has perhaps raised the demand for alternative stimulants among drug users, creating “entrepreneurs” who are turning to brewing ketum leaves and selling the drink here.
On Sunday, police here scored a huge success in two separate raids that saw about 400 litres of ketum water seized in Taman Medan and Section 17.
Petaling Jaya police chief ACP Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal said today that a 55-year-old man, who has been selling the brew for about two years in Taman Medan, was held after police raided a two-storey terrace house at Jalan PJS 2D/15D at 3.30pm yesterday.
He said the unemployed man led police to a van that was parked by a road shoulder not far from the house.
The raiding party found 235 bottles containing about 352 litres of ketum water in the vehicle.
Nik Ezanee said the seizure, which could supply 1,880 ketum users, is worth RM4,700.
He said police also seized stoves, gas cylinders and other paraphernalia the suspect used for brewing the ketum leaves.
In a separate case seven hours later, Nik Ezanee said police raided a double-storey terrace house at Lorong 17/22B, Section 17 here, where two men were arrested for brewing a concoction of ketum water and codeine, an active ingredient of cough syrup.
He said 46 litres of ketum water and more than eight litres of codeine which could supply 248 people were recovered from the house.
Nik Ezanee said 2kg of ketum leaves were also seized from the suspects who have been selling the drink over the past four months.
He said all three suspects in both cases were remanded for four days to assist in investigations.
