SEREMBAN, Malaysia: A 25-year-old self-employed man was arrested at his family home in Felda Pasoh 2 in Jempol, near here, for growing two ganja plants in his vegetable plot.

Police found the 2m-tall ganja plants (cannabis sative) during a raid on Saturday morning.

State narcotics chief Supt R. Ravi Chandran said police were tipped off by villagers who were unhappy with the man for growing the plants.

"We believe the plants are about two months' old.

"We want to know where the suspect bought the plants or the seedlings from.

"The suspect is the son of a Felda settler and knows farming," he said.

Supt Ravi added that preliminary investigations showed that the man was also a drug abuser.

Police would send the plants to the Chemistry Department for tests.

The suspect, who lived with his parents, will be charged under Section 6(B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for planting, storing and administering the plant.

He faces life imprisonment and six strokes of the rotan if convicted.

Supt Ravi said this was the first case of its kind in the state this year.

Police arrested a Myanmar national in Nilai for a similar offence last year.

Supt Ravi also said that the state narcotics division arrested 2,736 people in the first six months of this year for various drug-related offences.