Twenty people were caught for not only flouting the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) ruling but also having a drug party for a birthday celebration at two apartment units here on Monday night.

Timur Laut district police chief ACP Soffian Santong said police checked on the homestay units at 10.30 pm and arrested 15 men and five women aged 13 to 20, following a public tip-off.

"Fourteen of them, 10 boys and four girls are between the ages of 13 and 17 and are still schooling. All detained are from Timur Laut, Bukit Mertajam and Bayan Lepas," he said when contacted here yesterday.

“The group claimed they had booked the units for a birthday celebration and on further checks police found ketamine weighing 1.48 grams worth RM220,” he said adding that six of the group members were tested positive for drugs.

He said they were all compounded RM1,000 each for defying the CMCO and were on four-day remand to assist investigations under Sections 12(3) and 15(1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

In another development, Soffian said 16 individuals, including two women, aged between 20 and 40 years, were arrested and each compounded RM1,000 for drinking while gathering in a restaurant at Persiaran Gurney here, at 10.45 pm yesterday.

He said the group members were still seated at a dining table though the premises had closed at 10 pm as per the CMCO requirements.

He said security guards at the premises called the police after their repeated plea to the customers to leave, were ignored.

-- BERNAMA