JOHOR BAHRU, July 2 — The Johor police have crippled a drug trafficking syndicate with the arrest of five individuals, and the seizure of various drugs worth nearly RM3 million in a special operation around Johor Bahru on June 19.
Johor police chief CP Datuk M. Kumar said the operation, led by the Johor contingent police headquarters' Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID), involved three separate raids carried out between 12pm and 9pm that day.
Those arrested comprised three local men and two Vietnamese women, aged between 29 and 46.
“All five tested positive for methamphetamine. Background checks revealed that three of them had prior criminal records, including drug-related offences, and are wanted under Sections 39A(1), 39C, and 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952,” he said during a press conference today.
Kumar said the syndicate is believed to have used two apartment units and a gated-and-guarded terrace house as storage and repackaging sites for distributing the drugs to the local market.
It is also believed to have communicated directly with buyers via WeChat and placed the drugs at predetermined drop-off points such as roadside areas, drains, or rubbish bins.
“All payments were made online, with no physical contact between the dealers and buyers,” he said, adding that one of the local men arrested is believed to be the syndicate’s mastermind.
During the operation, the police seized 16,865g of ecstasy powder worth RM2,816,455; 104g of ketamine worth RM20,800; 548g (1,950 tablets) of Erimin 5 worth RM54,000; 375g (1,250 tablets) of Ecstasy pills worth RM62,625; and 7g (35 tablets) of yaba pills worth RM525, all estimated at RM2,954,405.
“These drugs could have supplied up to 59,971 addicts. We also seized various tools used for processing and packaging the drugs,” Kumar said.
In addition, five vehicles of various makes worth RM228,600, RM9,100 in cash, and jewellery valued at RM18,901 were seized, bringing the total assets seized to RM256,601.
“The total value of drugs and property seized in this operation is estimated to be RM3,211,006,” he said.
All the suspects were remanded until July 3 for investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which provides for the death penalty, life imprisonment, and caning.
The two Vietnamese women are also being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for lacking valid travel documents.
Meanwhile, Kumar said the Johor NCID had arrested 12,835 individuals for drug offences, as well as seized 1.08 tonnes of drugs and 5,816.56 litres of suspected drug substances amounting to RM106.97 million, during the first half of this year.
“Drug syndicate-related assets worth RM9.23 million were seized during that period as well,” he said.
The Johor police urged the public to continue providing information on drug trafficking activities via the NCID hotline at 012-208 7222.
— Bernama
