Johor: Johor police crippled a drug trafficking syndicate when it raided two premises in Seri Alam and Johor Baru on March 30 and 31, seizing drugs worth RM1.24 million and arresting seven individuals.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad stated that the two raids, conducted by the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) of the Johor Police Headquarters, led to the arrest of five men, including a Singaporean, and two women, including a Vietnamese, all aged between 31 and 60.
In the first raid at a house in Taman Megah Ria, Seri Alam, five individuals were arrested, comprising three Malaysian men, a Singaporean man, and a Malaysian woman. Police seized various types of drugs, such as MDMA powder weighing 7.8 kilogrammes worth RM1.17 million. Other seized items included liquid MDMA (2.4 litres, worth RM1,400), ecstasy powder (1,098 grammes, RM13,200), 80 Erimin 5 pills (22 grammes, RM1,600), two packets of syabu (26 grammes, RM1,300), and various drug repackaging equipment.
In the second raid on a shoplot in Taman Sri Tebrau, two more suspects, a Vietnamese woman and a Malaysian man, were arrested. The raid also resulted in the seizure of various drugs, including MDMA (69 grammes), 212 ecstasy pills (65.08 grammes), ketamine, four packets of syabu (100 grammes), two packets of heroin (174 grammes), and liquid ketamine (104.00 millilitres).
The police confiscated various assets, including two cars, a motorcycle, and cash, amounting to RM58,553.21, bringing the overall seizures and confiscations to an estimated RM1.30 million. The syndicate's modus operandi involved storing and repackaging drugs in 'gated and guarded' premises before distributing them to the local market and selling them to regular customers at entertainment centres.
Preliminary investigations revealed that a 38-year-old Malaysian suspect acted as the syndicate's coordinator, overseeing drug distribution activities, while the other suspects acted as suppliers, repackaged the drugs, and sought customers. The seized drugs could have supplied 33,537 addicts, with six of the suspects testing positive for methamphetamine and one for benzodiazepine. All suspects have been remanded for seven days until April 6 to assist in investigations. The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.