Malaysian police have detained four Burmese nationals suspected of drug-trafficking, a leading anti-drugs official said today.

Abdul Razak Mohamad Zin, head of the Pahang counter-narcotics division, said the four were detained in two different locations near the state capital Kuantan late Monday.

In the first operation, police raided a house and detained three Burmese fishermen after finding 23 grams of drugs believed to heroin in 14 packets in the house, he said.

Earlier, a Burmese national was detained after a police search on him found three grams of drugs, believed to be heroin, hidden in his cap, he said.

Drug trafficking in Malaysia carries a mandatory death penalty.