Kelantan: Cow sheds are now believed to be used as transit points by drug syndicates operating along the Kelantan-Thailand border, exposing shed owners to the risk of being made middlemen for these networks. General Operations Force (GOF) Southeast Brigade commander Datuk Nik Ros Azhan Nik Ab Hamid stated that although there has been no evidence of direct involvement by the owners, intelligence reports suggest that drugs are being smuggled alongside cattle or goats using the sheds’ logistics network.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the GOF has issued warnings to cattle shed owners near the border, highlighting the potential of becoming unwitting middlemen due to the lure of huge profits or coercion by the syndicates. These operations are believed to be concentrated in areas such as Kampung Tualang and Simpangan in Tumpat, as well as Kampung Kubang Pak Itam, Jeram Perdah, and Tok Deh in Pasir Mas.

Recently, the Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department, in collaboration with Kelantan police, conducted six raids in Pasir Mas and Tumpat, seizing 35.4 kilogrammes of ‘pil kuda’ (amphetamine pills) valued at more than RM5 million. In one instance, 20 kilogrammes of drugs were discovered hidden within cow dung in a shed owned by a suspect in Banggol Chica, Pasir Mas.

Nik Ros Azhan revealed that in the first six months of this year, the GOF recorded 34 cases of livestock smuggling, resulting in 39 arrests and the confiscation of 818 animals, including 274 cattle, 18 buffaloes, and 526 sheep and goats. In 2024, there were 47 recorded cases, with 56 individuals arrested and 80,755 animals seized, comprising 80,025 chickens, 385 cows, 340 sheep and goats, and five buffaloes.

GOF inspections at several illegal crossings uncovered ropes tied to tree trunks used for securing cattle, alongside traces of dung and hoofprints along the riverbanks. It is understood that once the number of cattle is sufficient, they are herded two to three kilometres from the riverbank to illegal sheds before being loaded onto lorries and transported to specific locations.

Nik Ros Azhan emphasized that the GOF will continue to intensify monitoring efforts and will take stern action if it is proven that any shed owners are complicit in drug smuggling activities using cattle or goats as a ‘shield’.