International drug syndicates use encrypted platforms and digital black markets, making trafficking harder to detect, says Saifuddin Nasution.
KEPALA BATAS: International syndicates are exploiting rapid advances in digital technology to expand drug trafficking networks through encrypted communication platforms, digital black markets and cross-border financial transactions, making the drug crime landscape increasingly complex, hybrid and difficult to detect, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
He said the evolving threat calls for a more modern, integrated and intelligence-driven enforcement approach to combat the growing drug menace.
“The growing threat posed by synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and fentanyl has serious implications for global security and public health due to their highly addictive nature, links to mental health disorders and violent behaviour. Fentanyl, in particular, can be fatal even in small doses.
“This shows that synthetic drugs are no longer merely a criminal issue, but a human security threat that undermines public well-being and the future of generations,” he said in a speech at the National Anti-Drugs Day 2026 celebration here today, which was delivered by Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Awang Alik Jeman.
The event, held at Dataran Sungai Muda Kampung Titi Merdeka, was officiated by the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Penang, Tun Ramli Ngah Talib and also attended by National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh.
Saifuddin Nasution said statistics for 2025 recorded 191,832 drug users and addicts, compared with 192,857 in 2024, a marginal decline of 0.5%, but stressed that the figure remained alarming and required a coordinated response from all stakeholders.
He said amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), including methamphetamine, ecstasy and yaba pills, continue to dominate drug abuse in the country, accounting for 73,611 cases, or 72.92% of all cases detected up to March this year.
“Border states such as Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis and Kedah continued to record the highest rates of drug abuse and addiction, while Penang ranked sixth with 757 cases per 100,000 population, compared with the national rate of 560,” he said.
He said the MADANI Government is strengthening anti-drug efforts through the use of big data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify trends and high-risk areas more accurately, supported by intelligence-sharing among agencies and community-based intervention programmes.
Saifuddin Nasution added that amendments to the Drug Dependants (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983 had also been introduced to expand access to treatment and rehabilitation, in line with the government’s commitment to tackling the drug threat comprehensively.
On this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Saifuddin said Malaysia had adopted the theme ‘Drug Prevention is a Shared Responsibility’, underscoring that combating drugs requires the active participation of all levels of society, and not just the government and enforcement agencies.
He called on political leaders, state governments, local authorities, non-governmental organisations, educational institutions, the private sector, corporate bodies and local communities to make drug prevention a national agenda to safeguard future generations.
