PETALING JAYA – Drug abuse and trafficking in Kelantan have reached “alarming” levels, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail warned following a working visit, citing a surge in synthetic drugs like pil kuda and an overdose of prison capacity.
Kelantan now records more than 1,000 drug abuse cases per 100,000 people—nearly double the national average—while prisons in Machang and Pengkalan Chepa struggle with severe overcrowding, with 80% and 65% of inmates respectively jailed for drug-related offences. Saifuddin has directed the police and anti-drug agencies to tighten enforcement and step up preventive outreach in schools and communities.