VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKL #0962/01 3350829
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 010829Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3524
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 3555

UNCLAS KUALA LUMPUR 000962 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR INL, EAP/MTS 
BANGKOK FOR TCAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PREL PGOV MY
SUBJECT: MALAYSIA: 2009-2010 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS 
CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT (INCSR), PART 1 
 
REF: STATE 097309 
 
¶1. Per reftel instructions, Post submits the following text 
for the 2009-2010 INCSR, Part 1. 
 
BEGIN TEXT: 
 
Malaysia 
 
¶I. Summary 
 
Malaysia is not a significant source country or transit point 
for U.S.-bound illegal drugs; however, domestic drug abuse in 
Malaysia remains on the rise, and Malaysia is increasingly 
being used as a regional hub for methamphetamine production. 
The government continues promoting its "drug-free by 2015" 
policy.  Malaysia's counter-narcotics officials and police 
officers have the full support of senior government 
officials, but systemic problems with the legal system hinder 
the overall effectiveness of enforcement and interdiction 
efforts.  Malaysia has a low conviction rate for arrested 
drug traffickers, and the country relies heavily on 
preventive detention under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Special 
Preventive Measures 1985) rather than active prosecution. 
The extensive use of preventive detention in narcotics cases 
in lieu of prosecution is due in large part to an extremely 
high burden of proof required for narcotics trafficking cases 
which would result in a death sentence in the case of a 
guilty verdict.  As there are no alternative sentences, 
authorities rely on preventive detention without trial. 
 
II. Status of Country 
 
Malaysia is not a significant source country or transit point 
for U.S.-bound illegal drugs.  Nevertheless, regional and 
domestic drug-trafficking remains a problem and international 
drug syndicates are increasingly turning to Malaysia as a 
regional production hub for crystal methamphetamine and 
Ecstasy (MDMA).  Narcotics imported to Malaysia include 
heroin and marijuana from the Golden Triangle area (Thailand, 
Burma, Laos), and other drugs such as amphetamine type 
stimulants (ATS). Small quantities of cocaine are smuggled 
into and through Malaysia from South America.  Local demand 
and consumption of drugs is very limited in Malaysia; 
however, crystal methamphetamine, ecstasy, and Ketamine, 
mostly from India, are smuggled through Malaysia en route to 
consumers in Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, China, 
and Australia.  Ketamine from India continues to be an 
increasingly popular drug in Malaysia.  Since 2006, Malaysia 
has also been a location where significant quantities of 
crystal methamphetamine are produced.  This trend continued 
in 2009, with methamphetamine laboratories seized in Kuala 
Lumpur and in Southern Malaysia, and frequent police reports 
of ethnic Chinese traffickers setting up labs in Malaysia. 
Nigerian and Iranian drug trafficking organizations are 
increasingly using Kuala Lumpur as a hub for their illegal 
activities. 
 
As of September 2009, the government had identified 1,560 new 
addicts and an additional 1,192 relapsed addicts.  Since 1988 
the Malaysian Government cumulatively has identified more 
than 300,000 drug addicts, and the government-linked Malaysia 
Crime Prevention Foundation and other NGO's estimate that 
there are currently some 900,000 to 1.2 million drug addicts 
in Malaysia.  Statistics continue to show that the majority 
of the nation's drug addicts are between 19 and 39 years of 
age and have not completed high school. 
 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2009 
 
Policy Initiatives:  Malaysia continues a long-term effort 
launched in 2003 to reduce domestic drug use to negligible 
levels by 2015.  Senior officials, including the Prime 
Minister, speak out strongly and frequently against drug 
abuse.  The Prime Minister chairs the Cabinet Committee on 
Eradication of Drugs, composed of 20 government ministers. 
The National Anti-Drugs Agency (NADA) is the policy arm of 
Malaysia's counter-narcotics strategy, coordinating demand 
reduction efforts with various cabinet ministries.  Malaysian 
law stipulates a mandatory death penalty for major drug 
traffickers, with harsh mandatory sentences also applied for 
possession and use of smaller quantities.  In practice 
however, many minor offenders are placed into treatment 
programs instead of prison.  Convictions for trafficking are 
rare, as they would require the defendant to receive a death 
sentence.  Consequently, most major traffickers are placed in 
preventive detention. Subjects convicted of drug trafficking 
frequently have their sentences commuted. 
 
Accomplishments:  Malaysia authorities seized several 
operational methamphetamine laboratories in 2009, and had 
numerous other successful investigations, confiscating large 
quantities of methamphetamine, ketamine, and ecstasy (MDMA). 
Police corruption was not a serious problem during the 
reporting period. However, in 2009 there was at least one 
case of corruption among Customs officers who were 
facilitating smuggling of drugs into Malaysia. 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts:  Police and Customs Officers 
arrested 56,205 people for drug-related offenses between 
January and September 2009, an increase of 10.5 percent from 
the same period the previous year.  Enforcement officials 
continued to show successes in ATS-related seizures and have 
also recorded a higher level of heroin, MDMA and 
methamphetamine seizures over the same period last year.  The 
RMP aggressively seize narcotics assets. The Police reported 
they seized RM 40.6 million (approximately $11.6 million) in 
drug-related property in the first half of 2009, versus RM 
38.3 million (approximately $10.9 million) in all of 2008. 
Between May and July 2009 RMP confiscated RM 22 million 
(approximately $6.2 million) in assets from one drug 
trafficking organization. 
 
Malaysian police are generally effective in arresting 
small-time drug offenders but have shown limited success in 
arresting upper level syndicate members.  The Royal Malaysian 
Police have acknowledged these short comings and have begun 
implementing training plans to improve their investigations 
and procedures.  Prosecutorial successes are generally of 
even quality with police investigations.  Accordingly, 
Malaysian prosecutors have shown only limited success in 
prosecuting and convicting drug traffickers.  Prosecutors are 
limited in their ability to charge and prosecute regular drug 
trafficking cases as Malaysia does not have an effective drug 
conspiracy law, thus limiting charging decisions against 
major traffickers.  In addition, there are limited sentencing 
alternatives if a subject is charged and convicted of drug 
trafficking.  Consequently, Malaysia police almost always use 
the Special Preventive Measures Act (SPMA) to arrest and 
detain drug traffickers.  The SPMA allows for the detention 
without trial of suspects who pose a threat to public order 
or national security.  The systemic use of the SPMA to arrest 
drug traffickers stems from the extremely high burden of 
proof required for a drug trafficking conviction, which would 
then require a mandatory death sentence.  Police and 
prosecutors are limited in their ability to prosecute such 
cases and preventive detention is therefore common.  There is 
very limited judicial oversight for subjects arrested under 
preventive detention. 
 
Corruption:  As a matter of government policy, Malaysia does 
not encourage or facilitate illicit production or 
distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other 
controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from 
illegal drug transactions.  While Malaysian and foreign media 
organizations continued to highlight cases of government 
corruption both specifically and in general, no senior 
officials were arrested for drug-related corruption in 
2008-2009. 
 
Agreements and Treaties:  Malaysia is a party to the 1988 UN 
Drug Convention, the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by 
its 1972 Protocol, and to the 1971 UN Convention Against 
Psychotropic Substances.  Malaysia signed an MLAT with the 
U.S. in July 2006.  The U.S. - Malaysian MLAT went into 
effect in January 2009.  Malaysia also has a multilateral 
MLAT with seven Southeast Asian nations, and an MLAT with 
Australia.  Malaysia is a party to the ASEAN MLAT.  The 
U.S.-Malaysia Extradition Treaty has been in effect since 
1997, and in 2007 the first successful extradition was 
completed for Wong Wok Wing who was extradited to stand trial 
in the Eastern District of New York for heroin trafficking. 
 
Cultivation/Production:  While there is no notable 
cultivation of U.S.-listed drugs in Malaysia, local officials 
report significant cultivation/presence of a local plant 
known as ketum (Mitragyna speciosa) with known psychoactive 
properties and used for its narcotic effects throughout the 
region.  ATS production has shown a marked increase since 
2006 and Malaysian authorities admit that international drug 
syndicates are using Malaysia as a base of operations.  Most 
methamphetamine and MDMA labs seized in Malaysia since 2006 
were financed by ethnic Chinese traffickers from Singapore, 
Taiwan, Thailand, or other countries.  In 2008, a lab was 
seized in Malaysia in which the chemists were from Mexico. In 
October 2009, a clandestine methamphetamine lab operated by 
Iranians was seized in Kuala Lumpur, and separately police 
seized two MDMA labs controlled by Indonesian traffickers. 
 
 
Drug Flow/Transit:  Drugs transiting Malaysia do not appear 
to make a significant impact on the U.S. market.  However, 
Malaysia's proximity to the heroin production areas and 
methamphetamine labs of the Golden Triangle (Thailand, Burma, 
Laos) leads to smuggling across Malaysian borders, destined 
for Australia and other markets.  Ecstasy from Amsterdam is 
flown into Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for 
domestic use and distribution to Thailand, Singapore, and 
Australia.  Ketamine comes from Tamil Nadu, India and is 
exported to several countries in the region.  There is 
evidence of increased transit of cocaine from South America. 
In 2008, several Peruvian couriers and one Bolivian courier 
were arrested with cocaine upon arrival in Malaysia.  In 
nearly every case the cocaine was destined for Thailand. 
Nigerian trafficking organizations continue to mail small 
quantities of cocaine from South American to Kuala Lumpur. 
Large scale production of ATS in Malaysia remains a 
significant problem.  There were three large labs seized in 
2007, one large lab seized in 2008, and several small labs 
seized in 2009.  There are other cases in which traffickers 
sought chemicals to set up methamphetamine labs in Malaysia. 
In May 2009, Malaysian police seized 960 kilograms of crystal 
methamphetamine smuggled into the East coast of Malaysia en 
route to the southern part of the country. 
 
Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction):  The NADA targets its 
demand reduction efforts toward youth, parents, students, 
teachers, and workers, with extensive efforts to engage 
schools, student leaders, parent-teacher associations, 
community leaders, religious institutions, and workplaces. 
Statistics from the NADA indicate that as of September 2009 
6,510 people, were undergoing treatment at Malaysia's 23 
public rehabilitation facilities.  Of these, 126 were women. 
Another 34,652 persons, including more than 1,000 women, were 
undergoing "in community" treatment and rehabilitation and 
are used as role models for relapse cases. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
Bilateral Cooperation:  Overall cooperation with DEA on drug 
investigations is quite good.  DEA sponsored a chemical 
diversion and clandestine lab seminar in July 2009 and an 
airport interdiction seminar in December 2009. U.S. 
counter-narcotics training continued in 2009 via the 
International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Bangkok and 
the "Baker-Mint" program sponsored by the DEA and U.S. 
Department of Defense.  Baker-Mint aims to raise the 
operational skill level of local counter-narcotics law 
enforcement officers.  In 2009, U.S. officials from the 
Department of Justice, DEA, and FBI presented a training 
workshop for Malaysian counter-narcotics investigators on 
intelligence analysis and other drug investigative 
techniques.  In addition, in 2008 senior Malaysian 
counter-narcotics officials traveled to the United States and 
visited DEA Headquarters and DEA's New York Field Division in 
an effort to expand their international cooperative efforts. 
 
 
Road Ahead.  United States goals and objectives for the year 
2010 are to improve coordination and communication between 
Malaysian and U.S. law enforcement authorities in 
counter-narcotics efforts.  United States law enforcement 
agencies will utilize better coordination with Malaysian 
authorities to interdict drugs transiting Malaysia, and to 
follow regional and global leads.  U.S.-funded 
counter-narcotics training for Malaysian law enforcement 
officers will continue and U.S. agencies will continue 
working with Malaysian authorities to improve Malaysia's 
investigative and prosecutorial processes.  U.S. agencies are 
also seeking additional operational engagement of Malaysian 
counter-narcotics officials who have expressed an interest in 
greater regional cooperation. 
 
END TEXT. 
 
¶2. POC for this report is Political Officer Greg Chapman, 
chapmangd@state.gov. 
KEITH