Joint anti narcotics operation results in arrests and seizure of over RM3m worth of drugs

KUALA LUMPUR: A joint operation involving intelligence sharing by Malaysian police with the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Thailand's Narcotics Control Board Office (ONCB) anti narcotics police led to three syndicates being busted and the seizure of over RM3 million worth of cocaine and syabu in Selangor.
The series of operations were carried out by the Narcotics Criminal Investigations Department (NCID) and Special Tactical Intelligence Narcotics Group (Sting) between Sept 2 and Tuesday.
NCID principal assistant director SAC Kang Chez Chiang said five Nigerian men, three local women and a local man, aged between 26 and 37, were arrested in the operation.
"Investigators learnt that all the locals arrested are drug mules and the drugs were manufactured in Latin America and smuggled to Togo before they arrived in Malaysia.
"Anti-narcotics police conducted the series of operations in Seri Kembangan, KL International Airport (KLIA) and Petaling Jaya," he told a press conference at the federal police headquarters, here today.
Kang said in the first operation that was carried out at about 6.50pm on Sept 2, police apprehended two Malaysian women who were carrying 226 pieces of cocaine weighing 4.3kg hidden in chocolate bottles.
It is learnt that the women had just arrived at KLIA from Togo and following the first arrest, police raided an apartment in Kota Damansara where they nabbed another Malaysian woman and a 32-year-old Nigerian man.
"Police believe the Nigerian man is the mastermind behind the syndicate and he has been active luring local drug mules to push drugs," he said, adding that a luxury car, a Peugeot 208, was also seized during the raid.
He added two out of the four suspects had travel documents, a student visa and passports but police are verifying whether they are legitimate.
In the second raid, on Sept 5, police stormed into three locations in Seri Kembangan and Puchong between 3pm and 4.30pm, where they arrested four Nigerian men and seized 22.5kg of syabu stashed in 44 backpacks.
The ninth suspect, a local man, 26, was arrested at the KLIA bus terminal about 3.30pm on Tuesday where police found 1.5kg of cocaine hidden in two backpacks he was carrying.
Kang said the three syndicates planned to use Malaysia as a transit point before smuggling the 5.8kg of cocaine and 22.5kg of syabu to neighboring countries.
All suspects are being remanded under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.