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The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Kepong drug bust nets 70kg ganja, two in custody
KUALA LUMPUR: Two men were arrested while some 73.25kg of ganja were seized following a raid in Kepong here. Based on intelligence gathered, Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) personnel intercepted the suspects' vehicle in Jalan Baiduri and detained the two locals, aged 38 and 33, at about 1.25am on Tuesday. Bukit Aman NCID acting director Deputy Comm Mat Zani @Mohd Salahuddin Che Ali said the raiding team uncovered 70 compressed packages containing ganja, weighing 73.25kg, after a thorough search of the vehicle. 'We believe the street value of the seized drugs is RM227,063. It has the potential to feed the habit of 146,492 drug users if distributed,' he said in a statement yesterday. Initial investigations revealed that the ganja was smuggled from a neighbouring country through the Perlis border and was intended for distribution in the Klang Valley, he said. The suspects are believed to have acted as 'transporters' for the syndicate and have been active since early this year. 'Both suspects tested negative for drugs. However, background checks revealed extensive criminal records,' he added. DCP Mat Zani said the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty or life imprisonment, along with at least 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction. 'We have also taken action under the Dangerous Drugs (Forfeiture of Property) Act 1988, seizing two pairs of gold earrings valued at RM1,950. 'This brings the total value of the seizure and confiscated items to RM229,013,' he said, adding that both suspects had been remanded for seven days. 'This successful operation highlights the commitment of the NCID in combating the country's number one enemy – drug abuse. 'We urge the public to relay any information regarding drug-related activities via the NCID hotline at 012-208 7222,' he added. Separately, four drug traffickers were arrested following raids in the Sepang district. Sepang OCPD Asst Comm Norhizam Bahaman said the suspects, three men and a woman, aged between 27 and 39, were detained on Wednesday. 'We seized various drugs worth RM36,500. 'All suspects were from the same village and they have been friends since they were little,' he told a press conference yesterday. 'We believe the suspects were transporters for the syndicate, which has been active since 2016. They were paid RM1,600 for each successful transport of drugs,' he said. ACP Norhizam said the group managed to evade the police previously as they used rented cars to deliver the contraband and stayed in different budget hotels while en route to their destinations. 'The male suspects tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine while the female suspect tested negative for drugs. 'Two of the suspects have criminal records,' he said.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Two drug couriers nabbed, over 70kg of ganja seized in Kepong
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have seized 70 packages of compressed ganja weighing 73.25kg during an operation in Kepong. Bukit Aman's Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) also arrested two local men aged 33 and 38 in the operation at 1.25am on Tuesday (June 17). Acting NCID director Deputy Comm Mat Zani @Mohd Salahuddin Che Ali said that acting on intelligence gathered, the team intercepted the suspects' vehicle along Jalan Baiduri and found the drugs after a search. "We believe the street value of the seized drugs is RM227,063, with the potential to impact up to 146,492 users if distributed," he said in a statement on Friday (June 20). He said initial investigations found that the ganja was smuggled in from a neighbouring country through the Perlis border and intended for distribution in the Klang Valley. The suspects are believed to have acted as transporters for the syndicate and have been active since early this year, he added. "Both suspects tested negative for drugs. However, background checks revealed extensive criminal records," he said. DCP Mat Zani said the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty, or life imprisonment with at least 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction. "We have also taken action under the Dangerous Drugs (Forfeiture of Property) Act 1988, seizing two pairs of gold earrings valued at RM1,950. "This brings the total value of the seizure and confiscated items to RM229,013," he said, adding that the suspects have been remanded for seven days to assist in the investigation. "We are continuing efforts to dismantle the syndicate's network. "This successful operation highlights the commitment of the NCID in combating the country's number one enemy – drug abuse. "We urge the public to relay any information on drug-related activities via the NCID hotline at 012-208 7222," he added.
Borneo Post
09-06-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Sharp land tax increase puts financial pressure on Miri cooperative
Chong (third left) presides over the cooperative's AGM. MIRI (June 9): Koperasi Petani-Petani Miri Berhad has voiced serious concern over a sharp spike in its annual land tax, which has surged by 325 per cent – from RM440 to RM4,249 – posing a significant challenge to its 2025 financial planning. During its annual general meeting yesterday, secretary Oscar Chai revealed that the 2024 budget had only allocated RM1,000 for land tax, leaving a shortfall of RM3,249 due to the unexpected increase. 'The 2024 budget had only allocated RM1,000 for land tax. This unexpected increase left us a shortfall of RM3,429. 'In addition, Telekom Malaysia's rate hike in communication charges resulted in costs exceeding the initial budget by RM3602.10,' said Chai. The cumulative impact of these increases has led to a deficit of RM802.10, he highlighted. To address the situation, members of the cooperative unanimously agreed to adjust and subsidise the budget shortfalls for land tax and communication expenses. Meanwhile, board chairman Chong Vui Kuok proposed an 8.5 per cent dividend pay-out for the 2025 financial year – the highest in recent years – as a gesture of appreciation for members' continued support and contributions. 'In 2024, the cooperative recorded a total income of RM229, 722.00 and a net profit of RM67,433.00. 'This would not have been possible without the tireless support and trust of our members,' said Chong, adding that the board is committed to giving back to members through meaningful dividends. He further explained that the cooperative's income streams are primarily derived from dividends on investments in Bank Rakyat, agricultural land management fees, and rental income from shop lots and fixed deposits. In 2024 alone, it received RM91,439.15 in dividends from its RM554,207.00 investment in Bank Rakyat, he added. The proposed dividend distribution will be finalised upon member agreement and internal approval. Currently, the cooperative has 300 registered members managing over 300 acres of agricultural land. Beyond financial matters, the cooperative also reported efforts to upgrade and maintain critical agricultural infrastructure – including drainage systems, weed control, and road access. It also announced that new land lease agreements are being finalised to ensure fairness and improved returns for members managing larger land plots. These initiatives underscore the cooperative's strategic commitment to sustainable growth, financial prudence, and long-term member benefits. Koperasi Petani-Petani Miri Berhad land tax lead Oscar Chai
Malaysian Reserve
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Malaysian Reserve
In troubled world, grown-ups find joy in doll's houses
A LOG burns in the hearth in the artfully lit drawing room. The armchairs look plush and inviting. Glasses and a bottle of wine stand ready as the grandfather clock keeps time. It is all straight out of a glossy magazine and yet every carefully crafted item in the room could fit into the palm of one hand. 'I love Victorian (19th century) houses and always wanted to live in one but it never happened,' laughed doll's house enthusiast Michele Simmons, admiring the cosy miniature scene by historical specialists Mulvany & Rogers. The 57-year-old corporate recruiter revived her childhood passion for doll's houses during the Covid-19 and has since 'flipped' about 10, buying them, doing them up and selling them on. She and her daughter thought nothing of flying all night from Boston, Massachusetts in the US to hunt for tiny curtains and a child's crib at the leading Kensington Dollshouse Festival in London. 'I love it! You don't think about anything else when you are doing this,' she said, admitting she often had to be dragged out of her work shed to feed her children as she became so absorbed. Exquisite Miniatures The annual festival has been gathering some of the world's finest miniature craftspeople since 1985, celebrating a hobby that has recently seen rising interest and a mushrooming of online activity. It showcases tiny versions of anything needed to furnish a house, from chandeliers and paintings to mahogany dining tables and kitchen items, all with steep price tags. Doll's houses may be traditionally associated with children, but this high-end miniature collecting is very much an adult hobby. 'This is craftspeople working on just exquisite things,' said self-confessed 'tiny-obsessed' Rachel Collings, who bought toys from renowned miniaturists Laurence & Angela St Leger. Every single one of her purchases, which cost at least £40 (RM229), fits easily into a small plastic container and will be added to her collection of equally small items. 'I've got half a cut lemon. Just imagine the size of that. A lemon squeezer and a pastry brush and a hand whisk that actually works,' said the 47-year-old editor. 'It's an inner child thing. These things are just so beautiful.' Doll's houses originated from Europe in the 1500s when they were used to display the miniature possessions of the wealthy. Just as at the festival, these so-called 'baby houses' were strictly for adults, not children. Retired midwife Susan Evans, 67, on her annual pilgrimage from Colwyn Bay in north Wales, does not just have one doll's house. 'I have a whole village,' she said. 'It's got 18 Victorian shops, a school, a manor house, a pub and a now a church,' she said, adding that the church had cost over £4,000. Initially the hobby was just a stress-buster to help her unwind, but she has now raised thousands of pounds hosting groups to visit the display in her home. 'It's my passion. It's escapism and it's about using your imagination, which I think is very good for your mental health,' she said. Craftspeople display intricate miniature furnishings at the showcase 'In Control' Kensington Dollshouse organiser Charlotte Stokoe said there was currently huge interest in doll's houses and miniatures compared to before the Covid-19. 'When the world itself is going a bit crazy with so much stress in everyone's lives, it's quite relaxing. You are in control,' she said, adding that many people had delighted in pulling out old doll's houses during the Covid-19 lockdowns. And at a time of rising costs, she said, people had 'discovered they can do interior design that maybe they can't do with their own homes — in small scale it's so much more doable'. Medical anthropologist Dalia Iskander of University College London (UCL) has spent three years researching the subject for her forth-coming book 'Miniature Antidotes'. 'For many people it's a way of exploring their own experiences and memories and imagination and incorporating that into these miniature worlds,' she said. A whole range of medical issues such as depression or anxiety could all be explored through miniatures in a 'beneficial' way, she added. Miniatures enthusiast Collings said the hobby had become such a source of happiness that her 12-year-old daughter also got involved. She urged anyone to give it a try. 'When everything is difficult, there are these tiny things,' she said. 'Sometimes I just go and sit and look at them and it just makes me happy.' — AFP This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition
Malay Mail
30-04-2025
- Malay Mail
Pensioner claims RM229,800 scam after woman called him to fix her pipes
BUKIT MERTAJAM, April 30 — A government retiree claimed to have lost RM229,800 after being tricked by a woman into participating in an investment scheme that did not exist. Seberang Perai Tengah police chief ACP Helmi Aris said the 62-year-old victim claimed that he was lured into investing in the scheme by an Indonesian woman known as Zizah because of the promise of lucrative returns. He said that according to the victim, the woman had contacted him on March 4, thinking that he was a plumber and asked why he had not turned up at her house to repair the pipes, but the man denied this. 'Since then, the victim and the woman were in frequent contact via telephone conversations and during one of the conversations, she invited the victim to invest in the scheme by promising lucrative returns. 'Within two days of making the investments, the suspect then sent him a link to a website,' said Helmi in a statement. He said the victim initially made seven transactions in small amounts to five different bank accounts and obtained a return on capital and profits as promised. Following that, he said, the victim made seven more transactions to the same account, but did not receive any returns on his investments and lodged a police report last April 28 after realising he had been cheated when his attempts to contact the woman went futile. The police are investigating the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code. — Bernama
