Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Zainal Abdullah set out the brief during a handover ceremony in Kuching, where SAC Kumarasan Muniandy took charge of the state Criminal Investigation Department. The remit includes serious offences linked to unlicensed money-lending syndicates.

Mohamad Zainal said several suspected drug-trafficking groups remain under police watch. He did not identify the groups or say how many were involved, and said action under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 would only be considered if investigators found enough evidence of organised crime.

Police have previously used SOSMA in one organised-crime case that is still awaiting trial. No outcome has been decided in that case, while any action against the groups now under watch remains subject to investigation and the legal process.