DEADLY 'NASI LEMAK' & 'AJINO MOTO'

Drug smugglers are using various tricks to avoid being detected by
enforcement agencies, including using fancy names when referring to
different kinds of drugs, a senior Narcotics Control Bureau officer
revealed yesterday.

Citing the fact that 219 people have been arrested until May this year
including 43 women, Awg Pungut B. Hj Besar, Senior Narcotics Officer 1 of
Education and Drug-Prevention branch of the Narcotics Control Bureau, said
for instance the popular drug 'Syabu' is also referred to as 'Nasi Lemak'
(coconut milk rice), Ajino Moto, 'Batu' (rock), 'Gula Batu' (granulated
sugar) and 'Lauk Puteh' (white fish).

Now the latest term being used to refer Syabu is 'Ayer' (water).
Trafficking more than 50 grammes of Syabu carries the mandatory death penalty.

Awg Pungut revealed this to a group of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD)
undergraduates who are currently undergoing an orientation course that
includes a series of talks given by various agencies at the Chancellor Hall
of the university.

Meanwhile for Heroin, smugglers use the term 'tepung' (flour), white horse,
powder and 'putih' (white). As for 'Ganja', they refer this drug as
'rumput' (grass), 'serunding' (shredded meat) and 'sayur' (vegetable).

Capsules containing codein are referred to as boom, maroon, capsule and
'peluru' (bullet), while the cough syrup containing codein is referred to
as Coke, Pepsi, Sarsi, 'tukol', panikol and 'kicap' (ketchup). Meanwhile
Diazepam is called blues, 'permata biru' (blue jewel), 'butang' (button).

He said the drug situation in the Sultanate is under control, thanks to
support from the public. He also said that drugs are not openly available
here like in some European nations and that stiff penalties await drug
offenders and smugglers.

Besides the mandatory death penalty, punishments range up to a maximum of
30 years imprisonment and 10 strokes of rattan depending on the severity of
cases.

Various strategies are being used by the bureau to tackle the drug menace
including reducing the demand and supply, gathering intelligence
information, implementing laws relating to drugs, conducting raids,
prosecution and investigation.

In an effort to reduce the demand, various civic awareness campaigns are
being carried out through promotional messages, forums, exhibitions,
community programmes like the establishment of 'Gerakan Ibu-Bapa Belia' or
GIBB, supervision for former drug users, collecting urine samples as well
as ordering drug addicts to undergo rehablitation programmes.

It was also revealed that in 2004, 609 people were arrested, which was the
second lowest in the past five years. The figure stood at 701 in 2003, 713
(2002), 547 (2001) and 672 (2000). He also said that the oldest drug inmate
at present is 71 years old. Most of those arrested are 30 years and above.