Malaysian police find $155,000 worth of weed floating in canal

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Despite being wrapped in gold-coloured foil, it was green, not gold, that Malaysian police discovered while responding to a public tip about something strange floating in a canal at Kampung Makau.

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According to The Star, Kedah police officers ended up seizing 180 kilograms of cannabis estimated to be worth about $155,000 this past Saturday. The floating cargo, namely 158 compressed lumps of weed wrapped in plastic and gold foil, was brought on shore at about 9:35 a.m. on Dec. 31.

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It appeared a sack containing the illegal drugs got torn, allowing the cargo to float up to the surface of the water, a police spokesperson told reporters on Jan. 2, notes The Sun Daily.

It is believed the drugs were destined for a market outside of Kedah and may have been placed in the canal for storage before distribution, per The Vibes.

There have not been any arrests in connection with the finding, but the police probe is continuing.

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Surprisingly, canals have factored into a few cannabis seizures of late. Earlier this year, about 105 kilograms of cannabis was seized off the shore of South Padre Island in Texas. Three individuals were trying to cross a canal, the Brownsville Ship Channel, at about 1 a.m. on Jan. 31 when they were busted.

Across the pond in the summer of 2021, a U.K. man was in court after smashing his Audi into a police cruiser door before fleeing on foot. As he did so, he left a trail of illicit bud leading to his abandoned vehicle in a canal.

Of course, there is no shortage of cannabis bales found floating in waterways or making it to shore over the years.

These incidents include about $24 million worth of weed that washed up on a beach in Gibraltar in 2020, 28 kilograms of marijuana found floating in the sea off Cyprus coast, 180 bales discovered off the coast of Dana Point Harbor, Calif. in 2012 and even 200 bales discovered off South Florida’s coast way back in 1977.

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Both recreational and medicinal cannabis are illegal in Malaysia.

During Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s working visit to Thailand to learn about cannabis cultivation methods, research options and use for medical purposes last August, he made clear that his country will not allow recreational use, per Free Malaysia Today.

“Malaysian cannabis laws are among the toughest in the world. Prison sentences and fines are common if you’re found in possession of cannabis, and until recently, the death sentence was in place for cannabis-traffickers,” notes information from Sensi Seeds.

According to Country Reports, “If you are arrested in possession of 15 grams (about half an ounce) of heroin or 200 grams (about seven ounces) of marijuana, you will be presumed by law to be trafficking in drugs.”

Input received from 462 adults 18 years and older in Malaysia found that “the current acceptance level towards decriminalization of medical marijuana is considerably high. However, the acceptance is mainly among those who are exposed to the substance and those who perceive low risk of medical marijuana,” authors note in a study published last year in PLOS One.

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