KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has been instructed to act against e-commerce platforms and online marketplaces that sell drugs, including fentanyl.
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said he had ordered MCMC to do so after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed to him deep concern about the easy availability of synthetic drugs online, also known as “piu-piu”.
“I have instructed MCMC, and they will be meeting one of the platforms that we believe has been involved in the misuse of networks enabling drugs such as fentanyl, or what is known as ‘piu-piu’, to be sold in Malaysia,” Fahmi said in Cyberjaya today.
He was speaking after attending a strategic collaboration workshop between the National Information Dissemination Centres (NADI) under his ministry, and Rural Community Centres (PKD) under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry (KKDW).
While the collaboration is meant to provide reliable Internet access to narrow the digital divide between rural, suburban and urban communities, Fahmis said users also needed to know how to avoid online harms, including the sale of drugs and scams.
“If these communications networks are not secure and users lack the knowledge or skills to protect themselves, it will not only enable drugs to be sold more widely, but also give rise to other problems, including scams,” he said.
In June, Malaysian police called for a total ban on vape and electronic cigarettes after finding that “piu-piu” was mixed into vape liquids.
Statistics from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) Narcotics Crime Investigation Department showed 168 cases and 267 arrests involving vape liquids laced with synthetic drugs as of June 10 this year, compared with 108 cases and 138 arrests recorded throughout last year.
Then Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the drug was found to have caused severe intoxication effects and made users behave like “zombies”.
He said the police were of the view that vapes were no longer being used for its original purpose as an alternative to cigarettes, and were now being used by drug syndicates as a new vehicle for distribution. – Sept 7, 2026