Cops seize 528kg of drugs worth RM19mil in Padang Besar

 

Kamarudin Din said the federal narcotics team brought down a total of 273 syndicates nationwide and arrested 908 individuals last year. (Bernama pic)

KANGAR: The police scored a major drug bust with the seizure of 528kg of methamphetamine, commonly known as syabu, valued at RM19 million, on Jan 10.

The drugs were found in a federal reserve forest in Padang Besar.

Bukit Aman narcotics crime investigation department (NCID) director Kamarudin Din said the discovery of the drugs followed the arrest of a 35-year-old man earlier the same day.

“We found 20 sacks containing 480 packets of ‘Chinese tea’ (with the label) ‘Guang Yin Wang’ placed on an iron trolley and it was covered with branches and leaves.

“As a result of this operation, we successfully seized 528kg of methamphetamine (syabu) worth RM19 million,” he said at a press conference at the Perlis police contingent headquarters (IPK) here.

Also present was Perlis police chief Muhammad Abdul Halim.

Kamarudin said that following the arrest and seizure, three more men aged between 21 and 42 were arrested on the same date, on suspicion of being connected to the same case.

“The modus operandi used by these suspects, who are familiar with each other, is believed to involve illegal routes in the federal reserve forest. They stored these packages on the site for some time and planned to distribute them later.

“We believe the suspects may have been involved in this activity since last year. Upon investigation, we think they may also have been involved in other drug smuggling activities in the past,” he said.

Kamarudin said action was also taken under the Dangerous Drugs (Forfeiture of Property) Act 1988, with the police seizing assets, including four vehicles and seven motorcycles with an estimated value of RM515,545.

He said the distance from the area where the drugs were found to the main road was about 2km, while the distance to the border from the area was about 3km.

Kamarudin added that the drugs seized could be used by 2.6 million drug users.

He said all the suspects, who are self-employed, were remanded for seven days each from Jan 10 and 11, while the initial urine screening of two of the suspects tested positive for ketamine and methamphetamine.

“The Bukit Aman NCID will continue its investigation to track down any other individual who may have been involved in this case, be it directly or indirectly,” he added.

According to Kamarudin, the drug seizure is the largest in Perlis to date.

Meanwhile, he said the police also successfully seized drugs, including in liquid form, ketum leaves, and ketum juice, worth RM704.90 million throughout last year.

“A total of 273 syndicates were successfully dismantled, and 908 individuals were arrested by the NCID nationwide between January and December last year,” he said. - FMT