Kuala lumpur: Police have arrested a man and seized 439.7 kilogrammes (kg) of syabu and ketamine worth over RM17 million in a raid on a house in Sri Hartamas here. Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the 2.10 pm raid last Thursday followed a month-long intelligence operation. The seizure is one of the largest made by police this year.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, a search of the terrace house uncovered 224 packets of syabu weighing an estimated 234kg, and 200 plastic packets containing ketamine weighing approximately 205.7kg, with the total drug value estimated at RM17.78 million. ‘The 30-year-old suspect acted as a coordinator and transporter for the drug syndicate, earning around RM6,500 to RM7,000 a month,’ Hussein said at a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.
Hussein stated that preliminary investigations showed the syndicate had used the rented house as a storage facility before distributing the drugs to the local market. ‘All the drugs were brought in via land routes from a neighbouring country by the syndicate. We believe the suspect received instructions from someone to deliver the drugs when there was a demand,’ he detailed.
Checks on the suspect’s criminal record revealed one prior offence related to weapons, while a urine test showed he was not a drug user. ‘He has been remanded for six days until today to assist in investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952,’ Hussein added. During the raid, police also seized two cars, three wristwatches, and various pieces of jewellery worth RM93,350, bringing the total value of the seizure to RM17.9 million.
In a separate case, Hussein reported that police busted a cannabis distribution syndicate with the arrest of four individuals, including three Vietnamese, in an apartment in Taman Kuchai Entrepreneurs last Thursday. During the noon raid, police found eight boxes containing 91 transparent plastic packets suspected to hold cannabis flower, weighing a total of 42.3kg.
‘The syndicate’s modus operandi was to use the apartment as a storage site before distributing the drugs locally and abroad,’ he explained. The suspects, aged between 26 and 30, comprised a local man, and one male and two female Vietnamese. They were detained under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and have been remanded for seven days until tomorrow.