Penang police crippled a drug trafficking syndicate with the arrest of three men and a woman and seized drugs worth almost RM2 million in a series of raids from January 20 to 22. – Picture by Hari Anggara
GEORGE TOWN, Jan 26 — Penang police crippled a drug trafficking syndicate with the arrest of three men and a woman and seized drugs worth almost RM2 million in a series of raids from January 20 to 22.
State Police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said, acting on a tip-off and intelligence findings over the past month, the police nabbed the first suspect, a 43-year-old man, in Bukit Minyak at 5pm on January 20.
“Three yellow plastic packets with the word ‘daguanyin’, a Chinese tea brand, containing 3,162 gm of syabu worth RM113,832 were found on the man, who later led the police to his house in Bukit Minyak.
“At the house, police detained the man’s 30-year-old wife and found 20 similar packets containing 20,800 gm of syabu worth RM748,800 and 1,289 gm of ketamine worth RM70,895 as well as 58,750 Eramin 5 pills worth RM881,250,” he told a media conference here today.
He said the third suspect was picked up when his car was stopped for inspection at 11am in Butterworth, during which four packets of ketamine weighing 3,250 gm and worth RM178,750 were found in the vehicle, while the fourth suspect was detained on the following day, also in Butterworth.
Mohd Shuhaily said the syndicate was believed to have been active since early last year.
He said apart from the drugs, eight luxury cars, cash and jewellery worth RM1.31 million were also seized from the syndicate.
All suspects have been remanded to help in the investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Meanwhile, Mohd Suhaily said the Penang police had also detained 334 people, aged between 15 to 61, and seized various drugs worth RM14,208 in the Ops Tapis statewide from January 21 to 23.
Also detained were two policemen from the Penang Police Contingent Headquarters who were tested positive for drugs during a urine test conducted on Monday and Wednesday.
Mohd Suhaily said the police would not compromise with anyone including police personnel if they were found to have flouted the law or on drugs. — Bernama