SHAH ALAM: Police have successfully dismantled two major drug trafficking syndicates operating in the Klang Valley with a series of coordinated raids.
Authorities arrested five local men and seized 164 kilograms of various narcotics with an estimated street value of RM16.7 million.
Selangor Police Chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar confirmed the operations took place on Tuesday and Wednesday in three separate locations.
The suspects, aged between 18 and 47, were detained in Banting, Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2), and a Kuala Lumpur condominium.
In the first case, two men were arrested at a traffic light intersection in Banting while en route to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday afternoon.
A search of their vehicle uncovered 30 packages of ecstasy weighing 61,760 grams and three packages of Erimin 5 weighing 9,850 grams.
The first suspect is a 47-year-old contractor and widower with 18 prior criminal records for drug and criminal offences.
The second suspect is a 42-year-old unemployed man with 22 prior criminal records related to similar offences.
The total value of drugs seized in this first case reached RM13.6 million, along with a necklace and watch worth RM15,500.
In the second case, an 18-year-old male believed to be a drug transporter was apprehended at KLIA2 while waiting for a flight to Sarawak.
The suspect had allegedly made several previous attempts to smuggle drugs, receiving RM1,000 per delivery.
A search of his luggage revealed five plastic packages containing 4.5 kilograms of syabu (methamphetamine).
This arrest led police to conduct a second raid on a condominium in Kuala Lumpur used as a drug storage facility.
Two more local men were detained during this operation at the condominium premises.
Authorities discovered 89 plastic packages of syabu weighing 86,795 grams and a white drum containing 5,850 grams of liquid syabu.
These two unemployed suspects were reportedly supplying syabu to the individual arrested at KLIA2 for distribution to Miri, Sarawak.
The drug supply is believed to have originated from a neighboring country according to police investigations.
One of these suspects had a prior criminal record while the other two had no previous criminal history.
Urine tests conducted on all three suspects in the second case returned negative results for drugs.
The estimated total value of the drugs seized in the second case was RM3.7 million.
All five suspects are currently under a seven-day remand order under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
They are being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction. – Bernama