Police cripple drug trafficking syndicate with arrest of eight individual

JOHOR BARU: Police have crippled an international drug trafficking with the arrest of eight individuals, including two foreign nationals, in raids conducted here last Tuesday (Oct 31).
Bukit Aman Narcotic Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh said the suspects, aged between 27 and 58, were arrested at several locations in Johor Baru, namely Taman Desa Cemerlang, Ulu Tiram; Kampung Kong Kong Laut, Masai, as well as Permas Jaya in Pasir Gudang, in raids conducted between 1.30am and 7.45am.
He said six of the suspects were locals, while the two foreigners were a Singaporean man and a Vietnamese woman.
One of the suspects is a chemist, he told a media conference here today.
Following their arrest, Mohmad said, police seized 51, 750 pills, believed to be ecstasy; 227.6kg of drug powder, believed to be ecstasy, and 10.51gm of suspected cannabis, believed to be worth RM32.4 million, as well as various types of chemicals and paraphernalia to process drugs, two live bullets and for iron roads.
According to Mohmad, the syndicate used a hut at a palm oil plantation in Masai as its drug processing laboratory.
He said that of late, there was a tendency for drug syndicates to make Johor a drug trafficking centre due to the high demand for drugs from Singapore and Indonesia.
He said all the suspects, who tested negative for drug and had no previous record, were in remand for a week since Oct 31 for investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. — Bernama