POLICE TO SEND NARCOTICS OFFICERS TO AFRIKA, SOUTH AMERICA

MELAKA (Malaysia), March 12 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian police plan to send
narcotics officers to Africa and South America in their preliminary efforts to
check drug smuggling into the country.

Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan said the move which needs the
cooperation of Interpol and the countries concerned, also would hopefully
trace local drug syndicates.

"To date, five countries in Africa and South America have been identified
where our narcotics officers will act as liaison officers," he told reporters
after opening the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department Heads Meeting in this
southern state Thursday.

Present were Bukit Aman Narcotics Director Zul Hasnan Najib Baharudin and
Melaka Chief Police Officer Mazlan Mansor.

Musa said developed countries like United States, Japan and Australia had
also taken steps to place their police officers in several countries to deal
with the drug scourge.

"We need to intensify our efforts to check the entry of drugs to this
country by cooperating with the police in other countries," he said.

On current trends, he said the global economic slowdown would led to drug
syndicates trying to find money including through illegal transactions between
them.

The number of cases where women, usually graduates, were used by
international drug syndicate to transport drugs overseas, meanwhile, dropped
last year following the police's continuous efforts, he said.

However, drug syndicates in the country had been found to be equipped with
firearms and hand grenades based on the outcome of raids on drug laboratories
espcially those producing psychotropic substances, he added.

"Therefore, we are constantly on alert and make careful preparations to
ensure the raids will not involve injuries to the police personnel," he said.

If the syndicates resorted to violence, the police would react accordingly,
he said.

In his speech earlier, Musa said the Narcotics Crime Investigation
Department detained 1,200 people under the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive
Measures) Act 1985 last year compared to 810 in 2007.

It was a 48.19 percent increase, he said.

Arrests for drug trafficking and addiction, meanwhile, rose 20.12 percent to
64,255 people from 53,493 people in 2007, he added.
-- BERNAMA