Police arrest over 400 people following raid on Kuala Lumpur nightclub
A police chief said that all detainees were taken for drug testing
Police in Malaysia arrested more than 400 people at a nightclub over the weekend following a raid, claiming that the venue was operating without a licence and as a hub for drug activities.
In the early hours of Sunday, November 1, Dang Wangi police raided an unnamed club on Jalan Sultan Ismail, a popular street for nightlife in the Malaysian capital.
The raid took place between 2:30AM and 10:30AM, according to police chief Ahmad Azwan Amin Nordin (via MalayMail), after the force was allegedly tipped off that the venue was operating illegally.
417 people, including 299 men and 118 women, were detained. Police chief Amin Nordin said that all detainees were taken to the Dang Wangi police headquarters for drug testing.
Those arrested allegedly included premises security, staff and attendees, MalayMail reported. "The raid was conducted following information that the entertainment premises was linked to drug abuse activities," Amin Nordin said.
"All those detained were brought to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters (IPD) for documentation and urine screening tests," he continued.
It follows a string of police raids on nightclubs across Europe and Asia over the past year, including a recent targeting of LGBTQIA+ activist groups in Turkey with a swathe of police raids on nightlife venues and homes in major cities.
In March, Budapest nightclubs Arzenál and Turbina were ordered to close temporarily by authorities over alleged drug use inside the venues. It followed a widespread crackdown on nightlife institutions in the Hungarian capital.
Similar police raids have taken place across nightclubs in Georgia, Armenia and Portugal over the past few years, targeting everything from political activism and LGBTQIA+ communities to alleged drug use.
[Via: MalayMail]
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor
