A former Malaysian diplomat with a Datuk title was apprehended by police after being suspected of owning a cannabis farm at his residence in Janda Baik, Pahang
According to Harian Metro, the man used to serve the Malaysian embassy in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Police raided his home yesterday, 23 May, where several rows of ganja trees were discovered around the perimeters.
“Police then found dried ganja leaves and containers with liquid inside, believed to be ganja oil,” said a New Straits Time source.
The “farm” is believed to be growing about 100 cannabis trees, making the case the biggest cannabis tree confiscation in the history of Malaysian narcotics. The cases prior to this would only involve cannabis trees planted in pots instead of a large farm.
Sources say that the confiscation was carried out by the Bukit Tinggi Police Station and Bentong District Police Headquarters.
Meanwhile, a separate report noted that the diplomat’s 53-year-old son was also arrested in connection to the crime
“Urine test results found that the suspect (the son) was positive for cannabis while his father was negative and both had no previous criminal record,” Pahang police chief Datuk Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf was quoted as saying by Malaysia Gazette.
The value of the seized crop is said to have amounted to RM61,200 and have been in cultivation since 2015.
It is understood that both suspects will be investigated according to Section 39B, Section 6B and section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Police are still probing the objective of farming the plant on a large scale and how the suspect obtained the cannabis seedlings, reported News Straits Times.
Image via Malaysia Gazette
Image via Malaysia Gazette
As of writing, the 78-year-old former diplomat is under remand until 28 May
An observation by a Harian Metro journalist found that about 10 police officers were patrolling the area yesterday.
A few officers from the police forensics unit were also spotted at the location.
