Cops uncover syndicate using luxury condos as front to store drugs in KK
KOTA KINABALU: A 23-year-old man's elaborate plan to turn two luxury condominiums into secret drug distribution hubs ended when police uncovered his illegal operation.
Officers found the high-end units being used to store and distribute various narcotics, including methamphetamine, ketamine, and ecstasy.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun said the investigation revealed that the suspect had rented two posh condos, one on Jalan Haji Saman and another in Jesselton, using them as covert bases to stash and package drugs destined for both local and international markets.
"These upscale premises are believed to be chosen for their exclusivity and low suspicion, and operated as the syndicate's nerve centre for its trafficking activities," he told reporters on Friday (July 11).
The secrecy did not last, as acting on intelligence, officers from the Narcotics Crime Investigation Division of the Kota Kinabalu District Police raided one of the units on July 4 at 7.45pm.
There, they arrested the suspect and found 790.56g of syabu inside a bag, alongside a digital weighing scale, packaging tools, and a money-counting machine, all telltale signs of large-scale drug operations.
Jauteh said a second raid at another luxury unit the next day uncovered 14.14g of ketamine.
"The investigation then led us to a locked Toyota Yaris, parked near the Sabah Art Gallery Outdoor Artspace, believed to be another stash point.
"Inside the vehicle, officers discovered a suitcase and a box containing 12.7kg of syabu, 6.9kg of ketamine, 25 packets of ecstasy juice, and 10 ecstasy pills. In total, the seizure is estimated to be worth RM960,000," he said.
In addition, police also confiscated two four-wheel drive vehicles, bringing the total value of the operation's bust to RM1.23mil.
"This syndicate had clearly gone to great lengths to disguise its operations using high-end properties as secret bases. These drugs could have fuelled over 100,000 individual doses," he said.
He added that the suspect, who tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine, had no previous criminal record.
The drugs are believed to have entered Sabah by air and were being prepared for cross-border distribution.
The suspect is currently remanded and under investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment upon conviction.
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