ALOR STAR: Two men thought they had it all figured out when they came up with an "outside the box" idea to cover up their ketum smuggling by labelling two polystyrene boxes filled with the narcotic leaves as "pekasam ikan".
However, their ruse was foiled after policemen from the Alor Star police station busted them at Shahab Perdana yesterday evening.
Based on a posting on the Kota Star district police Facebook page, the 10.45pm bust was made by a team led by Inspector Rozilan Mat Yusoff.
"Checks revealed that two polystyrene boxes and a zipped plastic bag labelled as 'pekasam ikan' contained 290 packets of suspected ketum leaves instead of the delicacy.
"The police team led by Alor Star police station chief Inspector Rozilan Mat Yusoff then arrested two men aged 20 and 21 following the seizure of 290 packets of suspected ketum weighing about 58kg," read the posting.
The duo was being investigated under Section 30(3) of the Poison Act 1952, which carried a jail sentence of up to four years and a fine of not more than RM10,000, or both upon conviction.
Pekasam is made of fermented fish and it is a popular traditional dish in Kedah. The freshwater fish is fermented with salt, palm sugar, toasted rice grains and pieces of tamarind.
Ketum from Kedah is also smuggled out to south Thailand, where the opioid plant is considered a traditional herb that could fetch as high as RM150 per kg compared with just RM30 per kg in the local market.
The leaves are usually boiled in water and drunk to induce a stimulative effect. It is mostly consumed by workers doing hard labour for long hours and those seeking a recreational experience.
