Rohan, the head of the International Centre for Terrorism Research and Political Violence at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said traffickers should not be spared from the gallows, otherwise the country would become a target for more drug pushers.
“The government should send drug addicts for rehabilitation and traffickers should face the death penalty,” he told FMT.
He said the government should also set up an elite unit made of specially trained police officers in every state to target at least 10 traffickers in each state.
“Once the 10 are identified, mount an operation on them. Zero in on them. The government really needs an alternative strategy to nab kingpins,” he said.
Rohan was asked to comment on Universiti Malaya law professor Azmi Sharom’s remark that drug mules were being sent to the gallows while kingpins of major syndicates remained free.
Azmi also said the government should look into calls to abolish the death penalty, particularly for drug-related offences, as the punishment had proven ineffective in preventing drug abuse and drug trafficking.
Rohan said kingpins could only be caught if the elite or special task force unit was set up in every state, as it would help decentralise powers and allow the unit to carry out covert operations.
“It should not be a regular unit. It should have extraordinary powers and be only answerable to the home minister,” he said.
He added that based on his work, carried out internationally, Malaysia was a target for many drug traffickers around the world.
“It is a rich market. There are many middle-income earners to buy drugs,” he claimed.
The federal government reiterated in January Putrajaya’s intention to abolish mandatory capital punishment.
The police narcotics division arrested 53,380 people for drug-related offences, recording a 231% increase in the value of confiscated drugs from RM70.4 million in 2018.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the biggest seizures included RM72.49 million worth of syabu, ermine and ecstasy involving three individuals in Penang in September; RM25 million worth of syabu and ecstasy pills involving four men in Penang in August; and RM33.83 million worth of syabu involving four men in Perak in December.
Former IGP Rahim Noor said kingpins were the masterminds in drug distribution nationwide and that they left no trace behind for police to nab them.
“They are very smart. With no concrete evidence it is difficult to trace them. They do it in such a way that the police find it hard to charge them in court.”
Due to that, he called for preventive laws to be continued to allow the police to monitor kingpins, especially those suspected of drug pushing.
Under the preventive laws, he said police could monitor a suspect’s movements and instruct him to report to the police station at least three times a week.
Malaysia has several preventive laws such as the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 and the Prevention of Terrorism Act.