Penang police dismantle a drug syndicate, seizing RM3.4 million worth of MDMA and arresting seven individuals in George Town and Seberang Jaya.
GEORGE TOWN: Police have dismantled a syndicate involved in distributing methylenedioxymethamphetamine worth RM3.4 million following the arrest of seven individuals.
Penang police chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said the suspects, aged between 31 and 54, were arrested following intelligence gathering and a public tip-off.
He stated that the first two raids in George Town led to the arrest of a local man and a foreign woman at a car park.
These arrests resulted in the discovery of 235 multi-coloured plastic packets containing powder suspected to be MDMA weighing about 6,278.9 grammes.
Police also found a transparent plastic packet containing 17.5 grammes of powder believed to be ketamine during these initial raids.
Azizee said interrogations of the suspects resulted in a follow-up raid at a house in Seberang Jaya.
Five more individuals, including four local men and a foreign woman, were arrested in this subsequent operation.
Further inspection at the Seberang Jaya house uncovered three plastic jars containing powder believed to be MDMA weighing about 2,660 grammes.
Police also found 12 plastic packages containing 438 transparent packets of suspected MDMA powder weighing around 14,530 grammes.
Azizee confirmed that one of the suspects tested positive for methamphetamine during the operation.
Three other suspects tested positive for a combination of amphetamine, methamphetamine, and ketamine.
Further checks revealed that three of the suspects had prior criminal and drug-related records.
Police seized two vehicles, a Nissan Teana and a Proton Preve worth about RM40,000, during the raids.
The total value of drugs seized and confiscated assets amounted to RM3.4 million according to police estimates.
Azizee added that the syndicate is believed to have been operating since the middle of this year.
All suspects have been remanded for seven days beginning from today until November 6 for further investigation.
The investigation is being conducted under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. – Bernama
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