JOHOR BAHRU: Police crippled two drug distribution syndicates in two separate operations in this district on March 4, resulting in seizures worth almost RM7 million.
Johor police chief Datuk M. Kumar said the Johor Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) arrested two men and a Vietnamese woman, aged between 25 and 29, in the first raid at about 7.20 am.
“Two of the suspects were arrested in the parking lot of an apartment while the other was held at a hotel in the city.
“Various types of drugs were found in the apartment, namely 9.28 kilogrammes (kg) of ecstasy powder, 74 grammes (g) of ketamine, 90 erimin 5 pills, 26 ecstasy pills and 18 millilitres of liquid ecstasy worth a total of RM1.56 million,” he told a media conference at the Johor Police Headquarters here today.
He added that police also seized two cars, RM15,450 in cash and various types of jewellery worth RM25,040.
Kumar said that their investigations found that the syndicate, which has been active since January, had mixed various types of drugs into instant drink packets to deceive the authorities before selling them for RM250 per packet.
He added that two of the suspects tested positive for benzodiazepines and that only the woman had a drug-related criminal record.
Meanwhile, Kumar said the Johor Bahru Selatan Narcotics Crime Investigation Division, together with the Johor NCID, arrested three men and a woman, aged between 17 and 42, in a second operation on an apartment at 4.30 pm.
He said that police seized 32kg of ecstasy powder, 13.50g of syabu and eight erimin 5 pills worth RM5.38 million and confiscated a car, two motorcycles and RM159 in cash.
“Our investigations found that the syndicate has been active since February and had a similar modus operandi, namely mixing a concoction of drugs into drink packets for the local market.
“From the urine test conducted, one of the suspects tested positive for methamphetamine while two of them had prior criminal and drug records,” he said.
He added that all those arrested in the two operations have been remanded until Wednesday (March 12) and the cases are being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
