KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — Police have crippled a syndicate employing the latest trend of lacing bottles of juice with drugs after several raids across the Klang Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday (January 16 and January 17) netted six suspects, including the mastermind.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Crimes Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Kamaruddin Md Din said the syndicate was adulterating a type of juice with various drugs and distributing the beverage at Klang Valley entertainment outlets.
Its investigations revealed the syndicate, operational since mid-2023, utilised luxury condominiums in Kajang and Cheras as their headquarters, and marketed the laced juice to entertainment outlets and private parties.
"We discovered they mixed various types of drugs in juices and sold them between RM180 and RM300 per bottle depending on the size and drug content, catering to the customers' demands.
"Each syndicate member received about RM30,000 per month as wages for processing and distributing the drugs, making a lucrative profit from the sales," he said during a press conference at the Cheras district police headquarters today.
Kamaruddin said 54.55 litres of drug-laced juice, 1.68 kg of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) powder, 144 g of ketamine, 16 g of marijuana, five kg of ecstasy powder, 550 Eramin 5 pills, and 2,900 ecstasy pills estimated at RM448,850 were confiscated.
Three luxury vehicles, cash, and jewellery, estimated at RM489,408, were also seized in the raids.
Four of the individuals arrested tested positive for ketamine, and one of them had a previous drug-related criminal record.
"The individuals aged 19 to 40 are being remanded for seven days until Tuesday (January 23) to facilitate the investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952," he said.
— Bernama
