Cattle As Drug Mules Kelantan Police Probe Shocking Smuggling Method

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Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat says they have have received intelligence suggesting that drug traffickers are concealing narcotics inside livestock imported from a neighbouring country. – NSTP picKOTA BARU: Kelantan police have received intelligence suggesting that drug traffickers are concealing narcotics inside livestock imported from a neighbouring country.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the animals — mainly cattle and goats — were brought into the state through legal routes, but suspicions were raised following reports of unusual behaviour during quarantine.
"We received information a few months ago indicating that certain cattle and goats, legally imported across the border, were not being fed by their owners during the quarantine period.
"Ordinarily, livestock should be provided with food. However, we suspect that the owners — believed to be in cahoots with drug traffickers — intentionally withheld feed, fearing that the animals might defecate and excrete the drugs hidden inside them," he told a press conference here today.
Mohd Yusoff said investigations into the allegations were ongoing and that police are working closely with other agencies, including the Veterinary Services Department, to uncover the truth.
When asked whether police had identified any illegal livestock enclosures along the Kelantan-Thai border, he said that numerous such facilities had been detected, particularly between Pasir Mas and Tanah Merah.
He said the narrow and shallow stretches of the Golok River made it easier for smugglers to move livestock across the border undetected.
"Of the 136km of border shared with Thailand, 91km comprises river territory, with about 41km falling within our monitoring zone," he said.
Mohd Yusoff said that he had instructed the brigade commander to tighten enforcement in affected areas and that monitoring had been intensified in more than 10 identified hotspots over the past four to five months.
"While we have yet to uncover concrete evidence, the possibility remains that cattle and goats are being used as drug mules.
"This issue remains firmly on our enforcement radar, and we are continuing efforts with other agencies to track down those responsible," he said. - NST

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