Police Thwart Bid To Smuggle 53Kg Of Ketum Leaves To Thailand

JITRA (Kedah, Malaysia), Jan 12 (Bernama) -- The police have foiled an attempt to smuggle ketum leaves into Thailand, with the seizure of 53kg of the drug at a house in Tunjang on Wednesday. A 50-year-old local man and a 22-year-old Thai national were detained in the police operation dubbed 'Ops Tapis Khas' about 6pm. Kedah Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department head Supt Abd Razak Md Zin said the local man was in the midst of selling 651 packages of ketum leaves worth US$448 (RM1,590) to the foreigner when the police nabbed them. "The duo were placing the packages of ketum leaves on the wall of the car door to avoid detection by the authorities when we moved in. "The Thai suspect had previously smuggled ketum leaves to Thailand on two occassions and the local man had supplied them," he said at the Kubang Pasu police headquarters here Saturday. Ketum leaves are smuggled out of the country due to its high demand. It fetches more than US$14 (RM50) per kilo in Thailand as compared to US$8 (RM30) in Malaysia. Abd Razak said the two suspects were remanded until Sunday to facilitate investigations. In another operation on the same day in Kubang Pasu, the police detained 13 local men and a Thai national in connection with the seizure of 110.7kg of ketum leaves, 117 litres of ketum water and seven cough mixtures. -- BERNAMA