By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 26: The Malaysian Drug Prevention Association (Pemadam) Sarawak has thrown its full support behind a proposal by the Customs Department to make complete and verifiable sender details mandatory for all parcels entering Sarawak, as part of efforts to curb drug smuggling via courier services.
Pemadam Sarawak chairman Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Customs officers had highlighted a serious issue involving parcels containing drugs sent using false or incomplete sender information, including invalid addresses, non-existent phone numbers or incorrect identities.
“During investigations, when Customs officers dig deeper, recipients often say, ‘I don’t know who sent this to me,’ and tracing the sender fails because the identification or address is wrong. Then the case simply cannot proceed,” he said during a press conference after the Pemadam Sarawak meeting at Waterfront Hotel here today.
In some instances, he added, parcels containing illegal substances have to be destroyed because no individual can be charged.
“Thus, Pemadam Sarawak supports the proposal by the Customs Department that whenever a parcel is sent, whether from Peninsular Malaysia or Sabah, the sender must provide up-to-date details based on their identification, including a valid address and phone number,” he emphasised.
Abdul Karim also said enforcement agencies, particularly Customs, face significant constraints, including an insufficient number of drug-sniffing dogs.
“Each dog can only detect specific substances depending on its training, whether opium, heroin, or cannabis. This poses a major challenge,” he said, adding that most scanners used at Customs offices, post offices, airports and ports are designed to detect metal objects, weapons or explosives, rather than drugs.
Nevertheless, he stressed that education and public awareness remain Pemadam Sarawak’s primary focus.
On funding, Abdul Karim who is also the Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, and Sarawak Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, said Pemadam Sarawak had initially received only RM150,000 annually for nearly 30 years.
After he took over as chairman, the matter was brought to the Cabinet, which approved an annual allocation of RM500,000 four to five years ago.
“While it may seem substantial, with the expansion of districts, operational costs, staff salaries, office rental and numerous annual programmes, our total funds, including the initial RM150,000, amount to only about RM650,000,” he said.
As such, Pemadam’s committee has unanimously agreed to seek an increase in annual funding from RM500,000 to RM1 million, with a follow-up submission to be made to the Cabinet.
“We hope the government will approve this, as Pemadam’s activities have shown positive impact. However, we prefer to remain discreet and not overly publicise our work,” he emphasised. — DayakDaily
