Selangor police have taken action against 58 personnel for drug abuse during several operations since August.

The policemen were picked up in an operation dubbed "Ops Blue Devil".

Selangor police chief Noor Azam Jamaludin said they were waiting for a full report on the matter to charge the policemen involved in court.

“So far, we have charged five who tested positive for drugs under the operation,” he said at a press conference in Shah Alam today to highlight the achievements of the Selangor police throughout last year and plans for this year.

Last year, 62 officers from the contingent were dismissed and demoted under Regulation 37 of the Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993, while action was taken against 115 under Regulation 36 of of the same regulations.

In the meantime, he said 19,810 criminal cases were reported last year compared with 21,338 in 2018, and 12,232 cases were solved.

He added that to curb gambling crimes, vice and gangsterism last year, the Selangor Criminal Investigation Department conducted 4,560 raids under "Ops Dadu", 1,434 "Ops Noda" raids and 417 "Ops Cantas" raids.

“Action has been taken against 439 suspects under the Prevention of Crimes Act (Poca) last year,” he said.

At the same time, Noor Azam informed that last year marked a great success for the Selangor Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department as several raids were conducted leading to the discovery of large amounts of drugs.

The department’s biggest success last year was the largest drug haul in the country comprising 3.2 tonnes of cocaine and 500kg of ketamine worth about RM676 million in Shah Alam on Aug 19 that led to the arrest of 13 suspects.

“Police also found 52kg of 'magic mushroom' a new psychoactive drug worth RM2.2 million in Hulu Selangor on Nov 26. Nine suspects were arrested.

“Police also raided four drug laboratories around Selangor with seizures worth RM15,873,180 and seven suspects have been arrested,” he said.

To address this year’s challenges, Noor Azam said police have devised a more holistic approach to prevent criminal activities, especially involving syndicates.

He said this year, they would strengthen the scope of investigation under Poca and the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) against organised crime syndicates.

“The investigation will involve gambling syndicates, vice, sand theft and syndicates smuggling protected wildlife. This includes the sale of endangered animal organs in the black market masterminded by international criminals and cross-border crime. ” — Bernama