Police seize 47.7kg of cannabis flowers and arrest eight suspects, including a married couple, in Bukit Mertajam raids targeting a cross-border trafficking network.
GEORGE TOWN: Police have dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate following the seizure of cannabis flowers valued at RM8.67 million and the arrest of eight individuals.
Penang police chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said the operation involved two raids conducted in Bukit Mertajam between November 4 and 5.
In the initial raid at a homestay, officers detained five local men and a British man of Pakistani descent, who subsequently led police to another local man and a Thai woman in the same area.
Authorities discovered 17 suitcases containing packages of suspected marijuana flowers weighing approximately 47.7 kilogrammes during their inspection.
“The syndicate is believed to have brought in the drugs by land from a neighbouring country and is believed to have used the homestay as a store and repackaging location,” Azizee told reporters at the Penang Police Contingent Headquarters.
The eight suspects, aged between 20 and 37, include a Malaysian man and his Thai wife who are suspected of masterminding the operation.
“This syndicate is believed to have been active only since the middle of last month,” he added.
Police also confiscated two vehicles – a Honda Civic and a Toyota Estima – with a combined value of RM210,000 during the raids.
All suspects tested negative for drugs, though four have previous records for criminal and drug offences.
They are currently remanded for seven days until tomorrow for investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act. – Bernama
