Drug kingpin among three held as cops seize 145kg of syabu in bust

New Straits Times

5 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have crippled a drug trafficking syndicate operating in the Klang Valley following the arrest of three men, including an Indonesian, in separate raids last week.
The operation, which began on July 24, was led by the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department of the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters.
The police also uncovered a syabu storage facility worth over RM4.66 million in Puncak Jalil, Serdang.
Acting Kuala Lumpur police chief
Datuk Mohamed Usuf Jan Mohamad said the first raid took place at 5.40pm in the parking lot of a shopping mall in Kuchai Lama, where a 32-year-old local man was arrested.
"Checks on the boot of the suspect's car uncovered 10 plastic packages containing 10.34kg of syabu," he said.
Two other men, including the syndicate's ringleader — a 61-year-old Malaysian and a 34-year-old Indonesian - were later detained at the same location.
Following the arrests, police conducted a follow-up raid at a terrace house in Seri Kembangan, where they seized another 122 packets of syabu weighing 135.34kg.
"The total amount of drugs seized was 145.68kg, which could supply around 728,400 addicts. The estimated street value exceeds RM4.66 million," said Usuf at a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur contingent headquarters today.
He said investigations revealed that the syndicate had been using a gated terrace house in Taman Puncak Jalil, Seri Kembangan, Selangor, as a storage location before distributing the drugs locally and abroad.
"The group is believed to have been active since May. The two locals are suspected to be the masterminds and couriers of the operation.
"The drugs were primarily meant for distribution in the Klang Valley, with some destined for abroad, including to Indonesia," he said.
Further investigations are ongoing to identify the full extent of the syndicate's network and the role of the Indonesian suspect.
"Initial urine tests showed that two of the three suspects tested positive for drugs. Background checks revealed that one of them is also wanted for previous drug-related offences.
"The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment and not less than 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction," he said.
All three suspects have been remanded for six to seven days from July 25 to assist investigations.