KLANG - Individuals in possession of tampered premix coffee packets are likely to have thrown them away before unsuspecting victims found and consumed the drink, said Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigations Department (NCID) deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Kang Chez Chiang.
He said police have confirmed the packaging of the coffee had been tampered with before being resealed.
“We believe the individual or syndicate that brought the coffee had discarded the items out of fear.
“Investigations showed the sachets were cut open for substances to be added before they were resealed.
“Each sachet of the coffee mixture also weighed 10gm more than the usual packaging,” he said at the Klang South district police headquarters.
It was reported that three men and two women were treated at the Penang Hospital between Jan 28 and Jan 30 for extreme fatigue and weakness after consuming the premix coffee.
On Sunday, two garbage truck drivers were warded at the hospital after suffering from dizziness and bouts of vomiting.
DCP Kang said it was likely the victims thought it was just normal coffee but it could have been mixed with substances like syabu, ketamine or ecstasy or all three.
“When they consumed the drink, it was as if they were affected by black magic,” he said.
DCP Kang said police were still waiting for the chemistry report on the coffee mixture.
He added the tampered coffee was not distributed outside Penang.
Separately in Kuala Lumpur, Bernama reported that the Health Ministry will conduct checks on samples of premix coffee obtained from retail shelves.
Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the ministry had already checked the premix coffee factory and found no evidence related to the cases.
“If there is any element of criminality that has been done by others, then it has to be dealt with in a different way,” he told reporters after launching the World Cancer Week 2018 programme.
The results of the ministry’s investigation will be known after a week.
