Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) officers from the northern states of Kedah and Perlis, along with officials from the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) based in Langkawi conducted a 10-hour operation yesterday that saw the arrest of 13 local fishermen, all of whom tested positive for syabu and heroin.
The suspects were aged between 20 to 40, and were arrested in an attempt to eliminate drug abuse in the fishing communities of Langkawi, and thwart other “maritime crimes” in a an AADK pilot project attempting to address local social ills.
“The operation was conducted from 9am to 7pm; 60 crews from an oil tanker, passenger ferry crews and fishermen underwent urine tests.
“All those found to be positive for drugs have gone through the documentation process based on the procedure prescribed by the AADK,“ said the director of the Kedah and Perlis MMEA, First Admiral Maritime Rozali Mohd Said.
Rozali added that illegal activities in the area’s waters would not be tolerated.
Drug abuse among fishermen is not an unknown issue in Malaysia, with Coconuts TV heading to our country’s east coast two years ago to investigate an HIV and drug abuse epidemic among the areas maritime workers.
What we found speaking to the affected men on the ground in Kuantan, while following their routines over the course of a few days, was that the image of “bad” men painted by scant articles that had been published failed to encompass the complexity of the situation.
Rural areas along the country’s east coast afforded few economic opportunities for the men we met, most of whom dropped out of school early to support their families. Even leisure activities were few and far between.
Drug use began early in life, and both a comprehensive sex and drug education were severely lacking.
Many of the men we spoke to had no idea whatsoever of the HIV risks that came with needle sharing, nor did they realize that unprotected sex with their wives at home would spread the virus.
Unarmed with the basic knowledge of what they were confronting, many would use long fishing voyages as a means to stay clean longer, only to fall back into addiction once they returned to shore, and had nothing to do.
It’s a complex, heart-breaking issue, and we’ve reached out to the AADK for more details on their “pilot project.” We’ll update you accordingly.
