SEPANG: Police arrested a married couple and seized 265 kilogrammes of green leaves suspected to be ketum leaves, estimated to be worth RM10,600, early this morning.
Sepang district police chief ACP Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof said the husband, 36, and wife, 38, were nabbed at about 2.30 am by a police team from the Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) who were conducting patrol duties to prevent accidents and crime on the North-South Expressway Central Link (ELITE) here.
He said while carrying out an inspection on a Nissan Navara vehicle, which the couple were travelling in, police found and seized 14 zipped plastic sacks containing plastic bags of green leaves suspected to be ketum leaves.
The result of the investigation found that the confiscated ketum leaves were intended for distribution to the south of the peninsula,” he said.
Wan Kamarul Azran said said both suspects had been remanded for four days till Monday, and the case is being investigated under Section 30(3) of the Poisons Act 1952, which if convicted can be fined up to RM100,000 or a maximum of five years in prison or both.
He also said that the result of the initial urine screening tests found that the male suspect was positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) while the female suspect was negative for drugs.
Both suspects have no previous convictions, he added.