MACHANG: The Kelantan Customs Department crippled what is believed to be the state’s biggest syndicate processing and selling ketum water following a raid in a hilly forest area in Kampung Pek here today.
Its director, Wan Jamal Abdul Salam Wan Long said that in the 1.30 pm raid, they seized 500 kilogrammes (kg) of ketum leaves, 10 big pots filled with ketum leaves and water, five motorcycles and various other equipment worth an estimated RM100,000.
He said no arrests were made as he believes the syndicate members sensed his men’s presence.
“We found a sales record book and a refrigerator containing ketum water that had been packed. We later found the ketum leaves processing site about 100 metres away.
“We also found 10 large pots with ketum leaves still boiling being left behind in a hurry,” he told reporters at a media conference today.
Wan Jamal said they also found about 500kg of ketum leaves dumped near a tent in the area, which is situated next to a river.
He said that preliminary investigations found that the syndicate obtained the ketum leaves from a northern state in the Peninsula and transported them to the hilly forest area by motorcycles.
