Game freezes when displaying new sprite for the first time

Game lags or freezes momentarily when a new sprite or sub-image of a sprite is first shown in the game through the camera/viewport.
For example: Right before an object gets into frame, the game will freeze for a second.
Or if a sprite with multiple frames is being animated, the game will freeze between each sub-image, which ceases after a while.
This seems to only happen in very specific rooms and with very specific sprites.

Restarting the game using a game_restart function makes the lag...

Game freezes when displaying new sprite for the first time