Govt Monitors Coded Online Sales Of Drugs - Fahmi
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (Bernama) -- The government is monitoring tactics used by drug sellers who employ coded terms and fake accounts to evade authorities and detection by e-commerce platforms, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said.
He said those sellers had been found avoiding the scientific or actual names of the prohibited substances, including dangerous synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, in their advertisements.
“Sometimes they use different terms. Users may recognise them and know how to make a purchase, but the platform may not realise the items are prohibited,” he told reporters after officiating M360 ASEAN 2026 here today.
Fahmi said e-commerce services would be continuously monitored and scrutinised to prevent the sale of those prohibited substances.
“I will check every day whether these platforms are still allowing prohibited items to be sold,” he said.
Fahmi said representatives of an e-commerce platform linked to the issue were summoned on Monday, but he was still awaiting a full briefing on the outcome of the meeting.
He said the government would not compromise on the issue and urged platform operators to act proactively rather than merely removing content after illegal activities were detected or went viral.
“Many of these drug sales are hidden behind fake accounts. We do not want platforms to allow fake accounts to be created to sell those prohibited substances, or engage in illegal activities such as online gambling,” he said.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) was previously directed to take firm action against the misuse of e-commerce platforms found selling synthetic drugs, including fentanyl mixed with or linked to vape liquids.
Meanwhile, M360 ASEAN 2026, organised by GSMA and held on 9 and 10 Sept, brings together ministers, regulators and industry leaders to discuss digital trust, artificial intelligence, resilient infrastructure and regional digital integration.
Held for the first time in ASEAN and Malaysia, the event is supported by the Communications Ministry, with MCMC as co-host.
-- BERNAMA
