FOUR senior citizens were detained on suspicion of involvement in drug trafficking in several raids in Penang on Friday.
Penang police chief Hamzah Ahmad said the four – aged between 59 and 62 – were nabbed in George Town, Ayer Itam, and Bandar Baru.
Hamzah said the suspects led police to a drug lab and the seizure of methamphetamine and heroin worth about RM178,500.
One of the suspects, aged 59, is believed to be the leader of the syndicate and was nabbed at a parking lot in George Town, Hamzah said.
Following the suspect’s arrest, police seized a packet of heroin weighing 115g, valued at RM920.
Police were then led to a house in the same area where drugs suspected to be heroin-based were found in one of the rooms.
“We also found seven clear plastic packages suspected to contain heroin, weighing approximately 1,474g and valued at RM11,792, and five clear plastic packages suspected to contain methamphetamine weighing 4,099g and valued at RM132,000.
“Another six clear plastic packages suspected to contain caffeine weighing approximately 3,474g and valued at RM1,200 were also found,” said Hamzah.
In another raid, police arrested the three other men, aged 60 to 62, in Ayer Itam and Bandar Baru.
“Subsequent to these arrests, police seized two clear plastic packets suspected to contain heroin, weighing approximately 10.1g and valued at RM88.
“The syndicate had been actively distributing drugs since early March. Three of the suspects tested positive for morphine, while checks found that three of them also had criminal and drug-related records,” he said.
All of the detainees have been remanded for seven days from July 13 to 19 for investigation, Hamzah said, adding that the total amount of drugs seized was enough for 25,000 doses.
Police also confiscated two vehicles during the raids: a Chevrolet car valued at RM5,000 and a Honda Dash motorcycle valued at RM3,700. – July 15, 2024.