RM3 a pill! Rampant pil kuda sale fuels addiction among youth

New Straits Times

a day ago

PASIR MAS: The easy availability of pil kuda, or amphetamine pills, in Kelantan continues to fuel addiction among youths, particularly in rural and border areas.
This has raised concerns that the issue could lead to wider social problems in the state.
Checks by Harian Metro in several villages along the country's border over the past few days showed several suspicious situations, including encounters between individuals on motorcycles who briefly exchanged greetings, shook hands while passing something between their palms, and then quickly parted ways.
A man who only wanted to be identified as Wan, 38, said he usually obtains his supply from acquaintances and often uses the same method, roadside meet-ups known locally as "kiri kanan" (left right), which are easier and carry less risk of detection by the authorities.
"At first, I took pil kuda as a stimulant to help me with my work as a labourer. But things got out of hand. Now, I'm addicted and need it almost every day.
"Youths in the village who are involved with pil kuda usually know the 'lubang' (channels) to obtain their supply.
"The roadside sellers are typically small-time agents, not the main traffickers.
"In fact, the price of pil kuda varies from RM7 to RM10 per pill. If you buy a 'row' of 10 pills, the price drops to RM6 to RM8 each. And for bulk purchases of 50 pills, it can go as low as RM1 to RM3 per pill," said Wan, who is also a father of three.
He said becoming an agent or dealer is not easy unless one gains the trust of a 'tokan' (main trafficker) or has sufficient capital to buy in bulk. They must also know how to store the drugs discreetly to avoid detection by the authorities.
"Those who transport the drugs from neighbouring countries before smuggling them in are not the tokan, but Thai runners who are paid to deliver the drugs to local smugglers.
"If they're lucky, pil kuda may enter through legal routes, but most of it comes via the river, with nearby thickets used as transit points.
"All the risky work is done by hired hands, while the real tokan just sits back and profits from the business without direct involvement.
"That's why it's not surprising to hear of businesspeople or product 'founders' being arrested. They're simply using their ventures as a front," he added.
Wan admitted that the ease of access to pil kuda is one of the reasons he finds it hard to quit, although he hopes to turn his life around one day.
Meanwhile, a Thai national known as Lah, 51, said he was once paid 3,000 baht to ensure a sling bag reached Malaysian territory safely without knowing what was inside.
"The individual paid me because the river route has been heavily monitored by authorities since the closure of illegal entry points in December last year.
"But on the day I was supposed to deliver the bag, there was tight security at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex (ICQS).
"I had no choice but to throw the bag under a bridge near the riverbank through a damaged section of the fence," he said.