KUALA LUMPUR: An attempt by an international syndicate to smuggle cocaine in the form of vape cartridges through Malaysia was uncovered when the police managed to arrest four individuals and seized nearly 5,000 cartridges, worth RM 7.2 million, in a raid in Ampang Jaya last Thursday.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) acting director Datuk Mat Zani @ Mohd Salahuddin Che Ali said the suspects comprise a 57-year-old local man and three Singaporean men, aged between 25 and 46 years old.
He said that during the raid at around 11.45 am, the NCID team intercepted a Toyota Vellfire in the parking area of a hotel in the capital and found 10 boxes, containing 4,958 vape cartridges suspected to contain cocaine liquid, with an estimated weight of 9,420 millilitres (ml).
“The drugs in question are estimated to be worth RM7.2 million, and the investigation found that the syndicate used Malaysia as a transit point before shipping them via air courier services to international markets,“ he said at a press conference in Bukit Aman today.
According to Mat Zani, initial investigations found that the syndicate involved, believed to have been active since March, rented an Airbnb condominium unit in Ampang for RM300 per day as a location for processing and packaging cocaine cartridges for the overseas market.
“Each vape cartridge containing 1.9 ml of cocaine liquid can be sold at a price of around RM1,500 per unit in the international market, considering that this type of cocaine is difficult to obtain in the Southeast Asian region due to its high price and is usually used by the elite,“ he said.
He said further investigations found that one of the suspects tested positive for ketamine, while the other two had criminal records related to drug cases.
“In addition to the drug seizures, the police also confiscated various items worth RM2,975 for asset forfeiture actions, bringing the total value of the confiscated and seized items in this operation to RM7.29 million.
“This is the first case of cocaine seizure in the form of vape cartridges detected in Malaysia, and we believe this modus operandi is used to deceive the authorities and facilitate delivery abroad,“ he added.
All suspects have been remanded for seven days from June 20 to June 26 to assist in the investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which provides for a mandatory death sentence if convicted.
