JOHOR BAHRU: Police arrested 14 individuals, including a syndicate mastermind, and seized various types of drugs worth around RM11.6 million in seven raids around this city and Iskandar Puteri on Wednesday.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Khaw Kok Chin said two local men, six foreign men and six foreign women, aged between 22 and 52, were arrested between 3.40pm and 8.30pm.
“In this operation, the Johor Contingent NCID successfully uncovered a drug processing and packaging location and seized various types of drugs, including ecstasy powder and pills, syabu, ketamine, erimin 5 pills, MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and chemicals for processing the drugs.
“The estimated weight of all the seized drugs is 198.54 kilogrammes and the drugs can be used by 1.24 million drug addicts,“ he said at a press conference at the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK) here today.
Johor Police Chief CP M. Kumar was also present.
Khaw said that in addition, police also confiscated six vehicles, 14 watches of various brands, jewellery, RM204,069 in cash and S$22,970, with the total value of confiscated assets estimated at RM1.17 million.
He said the modus operandi of the syndicate, which had been active since January this year, was to rent condominiums and gated terrace houses with security guards as locations to process and package drugs before distributing them to neighbouring countries by land.
He said the syndicate was masterminded by a 49-year-old foreign man and five of the 12 foreigners had arrest warrants in their home countries.
According to him, based on the investigation, one of the syndicate’s tactics was to pack drugs in juice packages and producing drugs to resemble medicine, including painkillers, to deceive authorities.
“Initial screening of all suspects found three of them positive for drugs. All these individuals are remanded for seven days starting from Thursday until Wednesday and the case is investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952,“ he said, adding that the nationalities of all 12 foreign nationals are still under investigation.
