Drug authorities were surprised to learn yesterday that a middle-aged woman in their custody, busted in a narcotics raid, and claiming to be a single-mother of eight children to look after, had a 21-year-old daughter and elderly mother tasked with looking after her, as well as her seven other children. The incident occurred in Kedah, in the north of the country.
The reality of the situation came to light after the daughter appeared at a well-known drug spot shortly after the National Anti-Drug Agency (NADA) arrived on the scene, looking for her addict mother, and the motorcycle she had stolen from the family to get to the drug joint. The young woman begged officers to send her mother for treatment, saying that the family had done everything they could to help her.
She told authorities that while she was unaware that NADA would be there today, she knew that her mother would be there to get her daily fix. The mother has been arrested several times for her addiction.
In addition to stealing her daughter’s motorbike, the mother would often become aggressive if she did not get her narcotics. The young woman described it as “living in fear.”
When she arrived, her mother had been pleading with authorities to release her, saying that she had to look after her eight children. Upon hearing this, the daughter promptly informed them that she and her grandmother were taking care of the seven, who range in age from four months to teenagers.
NADA officers report that 33 individuals were rounded up in the raid at 10:00am, Monday morning. Those arrested were between 25 and 65 years old, and were mostly fishermen, self-employed or unemployed individuals.
All tested positive for methamphetamine and opium.
