Johor bahru: Police crippled a drug-processing syndicate in Senai after a fire at a technology goods factory in the Senai Industrial Park on Sept 14 led to the discovery of a drug lab.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan stated that firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving an emergency call at 4.35 pm, while a police patrol team suspected the premises were used for drug processing.
'The Bukit Aman NCID, together with the Johor police contingent headquarters and Kulai district police headquarters, conducted further checks and confirmed the premises had been turned into a laboratory for processing Erimin 5.
Police found a metal tray with 14 plastic containers containing 75 kilogrammes (kg) of powder suspected to be Erimin 5 and a box with three plastic containers containing Erimin 5 pills (24.69kg),' he told a press conference here today.
Also found were three metal trays containing 16 packets and two boxes of chemical powder (79.01kg), 11 drums filled with liquid chemicals (1.8 metric tonnes), and various drug-processing equipment.
Hussein said a follow-up raid at a house in Seri Alam led to the arrest of a 41-year-old man, believed to be the syndicate's 'transporter' for consignments disguised in wooden blocks.
Police later raided another factory in Desa Idaman, Senai, about one kilometre from the fire site, which was used to store chemicals.
'Among the items seized were 250kg of methamphetamine liquid, 20kg of ketamine and 1.7 metric tonnes of precursor powder,' he said.
Hussein stated that the total seizure amounted to 4.03 metric tonnes of drugs worth RM17.77 million, the largest haul so far this year.
Police are now hunting three suspects believed to be the syndicate's masterminds.
'The syndicate is believed to have been active since early February, and investigations revealed the two factories had been rented for the past two years. The drugs were processed on a commercial scale using machines capable of producing up to 100,000 Erimin 5 tablets per cycle,' he added.
The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.