Saifuddin defends Kelantan police's daily drug arrest directive

Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Kelantan's drug problem was reflected in its prison population, particularly at Pengkalan Chepa prison, one of the nation's most overcrowded prisons. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has defended Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat's directive requiring the state's police station chiefs to make one drug-related arrest daily, citing the seriousness of Kelantan's drug abuse problem.He said Yusoff's directive was understandable as almost all villages in Kelantan faced problems resulting from drug abuse."The districts of Kuala Krai, Bachok, Tanah Merah, Pasir Mas, Kota Bharu, Machang, and Rantau Panjang have recorded high numbers of drug abuse cases," he was quoted by Bernama as saying in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah.Saifuddin said Kelantan's drug problem was reflected in its prison population, particularly at Pengkalan Chepa prison, one of the nation's most overcrowded prisons.He said that about 75 out of every 100 inmates at the Pengkalan Chepa prison had committed drug-related offences. At Machang prison, which houses convicted prisoners rather than remand detainees, the figure rises to 95 out of every 100 inmates.Yusoff previously said the directive, which came into effect on July 15, was introduced after a decline in drug-related arrests despite ramped-up enforcement efforts.