(Kuching, 3rd) Sarawak Minister of Women, Children, and Community Welfare Development, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, revealed that the number of drug and substance abuse-related arrests in Sarawak has risen by 15.75% compared to last year, increasing from 10,122 cases in 2024 to 11,717 this year.
She pointed out that according to statistics from the Sarawak Criminal Investigation Department Narcotics Division, since 2023, there have been a total of 20 cases involving possession of e-cigarettes or e-liquids containing prohibited substances, involving 26 individuals arrested, with a total of 1,416.15 milliliters of the related liquid seized.
Fatimah emphasized that her ministry continues to strengthen various programs and interventions centered on awareness, prevention, enforcement, and rehabilitation. While delivering her ministry's summary during the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly session yesterday, she stated: "As of October 2025, a total of 140 programs and activities have been carried out, including 44 comprehensive enforcement programs, 12 education institution programs, 11 workplace programs, and 73 community and family-level programs.”
She also listed several achievements, including successfully preventing 155,204 potential drug abuse cases within one month, and safeguarding 51,400 Sarawakians from the dangers of drugs.
In addition, the number of people who voluntarily received treatment and rehabilitation increased by 13.27%, from 4,693 in 2024 to 5,316 this year.
She added that 83 individuals who have remained drug-free for five consecutive years were awarded medals in recognition of their long-term efforts and achievements in quitting drugs.
She said that during a courtesy visit by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on November 14, 2025, an agreement was reached to cooperate with Sarawak to help enhance training capacity, develop evidence-based prevention modules, and build a global network to strengthen the effectiveness of existing intervention measures.
“The smooth operation of the legal enforcement system and prosecution procedures also plays an important role,” she added.
To further improve effectiveness, Fatimah stated that the ministry suggests increasing the frequency of mobile court sessions to three times a month to speed up prosecution procedures, and to set up two additional chemical pathology units in the central and northern regions of the Sarawak Pathology Bureau to expedite the issuance of pathology reports and help facilitate smoother prosecution work.
She also noted that the State's highest council (MMKN) has agreed to let her ministry carry out preventive actions in Sarawak and to provide treatment referral services for e-cigarette or "vape juice" addiction issues.
She pointed out that according to statistics from the Sarawak Criminal Investigation Department Narcotics Division, since 2023, there have been a total of 20 cases involving possession of e-cigarettes or e-liquids containing prohibited substances, involving 26 individuals arrested, with a total of 1,416.15 milliliters of the related liquid seized.
She also listed several achievements, including successfully preventing 155,204 potential drug abuse cases within one month, and safeguarding 51,400 Sarawakians from the dangers of drugs.
In addition, the number of people who voluntarily received treatment and rehabilitation increased by 13.27%, from 4,693 in 2024 to 5,316 this year.
She added that 83 individuals who have remained drug-free for five consecutive years were awarded medals in recognition of their long-term efforts and achievements in quitting drugs.
She said that during a courtesy visit by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on November 14, 2025, an agreement was reached to cooperate with Sarawak to help enhance training capacity, develop evidence-based prevention modules, and build a global network to strengthen the effectiveness of existing intervention measures.
“The smooth operation of the legal enforcement system and prosecution procedures also plays an important role,” she added.
To further improve effectiveness, Fatimah stated that the ministry suggests increasing the frequency of mobile court sessions to three times a month to speed up prosecution procedures, and to set up two additional chemical pathology units in the central and northern regions of the Sarawak Pathology Bureau to expedite the issuance of pathology reports and help facilitate smoother prosecution work.
She also noted that the State's highest council (MMKN) has agreed to let her ministry carry out preventive actions in Sarawak and to provide treatment referral services for e-cigarette or "vape juice" addiction issues.