Ipoh:Kuala Lumpur Police have arrested seven individuals, including a drug mule, as part of Op Tebuan, targeting an international drug smuggling syndicate. The operation resulted in the seizure of various drugs valued at RM18.16 million.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the arrests were made by the Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) in a series of raids across Perak, Selangor, and Kedah from September 1 to October 4. The suspects, aged between 34 and 58, include a foreign national.
The first arrest occurred on September 1 in front of Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh, Perak. A foreign national was apprehended with 50 transparent packages containing compressed cannabis buds, weighing a total of 26.2 kilograms. The individual was allegedly planning to transport the drugs from Ipoh to London via Singapore.
Subsequently, six more suspects were detained in raids conducted in Selangor and Kedah between September 30 and October 4. These operations led to the seizure of 210 kilograms of methamphetamine and 69 kilograms of cannabis buds. The syndicate is believed to obtain its drug supplies from a neighboring country north of Peninsular Malaysia, distributing them locally in the Klang Valley and smuggling them abroad via air routes.
The syndicate has been active since July, reportedly compensating drug mules between RM5,000 and RM20,000. The first suspect was charged under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 on September 8, with the remaining six charged on October 8.
In a separate case, under Op Plecoptera, police arrested five foreign nationals suspected of smuggling RM1.92 million worth of drugs from India. The suspects, aged between 21 and 43, were apprehended in the Klang Valley on September 20, with 38 kilograms of ketamine and 0.038 kilograms of cannabis buds seized. These drugs were smuggled from Chennai, India, and successfully passed security checks at both Chennai and Kuala Lumpur International Airports.
Additionally, three men were detained under Op Tongkol for allegedly using a shopping mall parking lot as a drug handover point, involving drugs valued at RM5.6 million.