KUCHING: Narcotics police are serious about cleaning up entertainment joints of drugs. In a 12.45am operation yesterday, seven staff members of a pub were arrested for drug-related offences. The seven may face the gallows if they are found guilty of peddling drugs under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries the mandatory death sentence.
The seven comprised the manager, two DJs, a bar tender, a security guard, a cashier, and a businessman. Three of them tested positive for drug abuse while the manager faces an additional charge of operating a night entertainment joint without a proper licence.
Sarawak Head of Narcotics Supt Sahar Abdul Latif said acting on information received, a police team went to the entertainment outlet along Jalan Tun Jugah to investigate.
He said the team found a red plastic package with “Chinese Tea Gift” written on it, and which turned out to contain a mixture of fruit juice and ecstasy powders with a gross weight of 50.75g.
They also discovered a transparent plastic package containing nine green pills suspected to be ecstasy with a gross weight of 3.13g, and another transparent plastic package containing eight pills also believed to be ecstasy pills weighing 2.57g. Total drug value is estimated to be RM1,520.
Besides the seven, 10 male and seven female customers were pulled in for drug abuse tests, the outcome of which was not available as at press time. However, anyone found positive faces charges under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. The seven have been remanded for further investigation.
