[Sativa]

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police in the northern state of Perlis have busted a major drug syndicate with the seizure of 689.25 kilogrammes of cannabis worth 1.4 million ringgit (412,00 dollars) from a fishing boat, a police spokesman said Monday.

Customs police intercepted a small boat on Friday and discovered 730 slabs of compressed cannabis, known locally as ganja, kept in the engine compartment, said state department director Mohamad Ali Hashim.

'Following a public tip-off and intensive surveillance, enforcement officers from the customs, narcotics and marine units intercepted the boat,' he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

Two men on board the boat managed to escape arrest when they jumped into the sea upon seeing the approaching officers, he said.

Police have said the drug haul is the biggest in the northern region for the year.

Malaysia's tough drug laws prescribe the mandatory death sentence by hanging for those found guilty of trafficking in most types of illegal drugs.


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SOURCE: Asia-Pacific News
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