Police arrested a couple suspected of drug trafficking and seized RM9.7 million worth of narcotics in Butterworth raids on June 19.
GEORGE TOWN: Police arrested a couple suspected of being involved in drug trafficking activities and seized various types of drugs, worth RM9.7 million, in raids around the Butterworth area on June 19.
Penang police chief Datuk Dennis Lim Kwang Keng said the raid, conducted between 2.25 pm and 2.40 pm, was carried out by a team from the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID of the Penang Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK) based on information and intelligence.
He said in the first raid, a 35-year-old man was arrested in the parking area of a condominium, and an inspection of the suspect’s car found three packets of a substance suspected to be methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) weighing an estimated 220.69 grammes.
“The suspect then took the operation team to an apartment unit in the same area and arrested a 40-year-old local woman.
“An inspection of the room in the house found eight plastic baskets, three metal trays, and several plastic containers containing 1,269 packets and a quantity of powder suspected to be MDMA, with an estimated total weight of 62.59 kilogrammes (kg),” he said at a press conference at the Penang IPK here today.
It was also reported that 91 packets containing an estimated 3.06 kg of ketamine, 700 Erimin 5 pills, 1,630 ecstasy pills, and 76 cartridges containing suspected methamphetamine liquid were seized, along with equipment believed to be used for processing and packaging the drugs.
Lim said the investigation found that the apartment in question was a rental unit and the couple were believed to have been actively involved in drug distribution activities since January, with all the seized drugs estimated to be enough for 221,649 people.
It was said that the initial urine screening found both suspects to be drug-negative but had past criminal records.
Lim said the couple involved are now remanded for seven days until June 26 for further investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
