POLICE have seized 60.78 kilograms of methamphetamine worth an estimated RM3.04 million and arrested eight men, including a 16-year-old school dropout who was allegedly used as a drug transporter by a trafficking syndicate.
The arrests were made during three separate raids conducted in the city centre on Saturday, which also led to the detention of a man in his 50s believed to be the syndicate leader responsible for planning and coordinating its operations.
Johor Police Chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said police first raided a Perodua Bezza parked in front of a hotel at about 9pm, arresting four local men and a foreign national before carrying out a follow-up operation at the hotel that resulted in the arrest of three more suspects.
Apart from the drugs and vehicle, police also seized jewellery, bringing the total value of the drugs and seized assets to RM3.14 million.
“The first two suspects arrested acted as ‘transporters’. They were the teenager, who has been out of school since January last year, had dropped out and was neglected by his family, and another foreign national who also acted as a ‘transporter’.
“The third suspect was a ‘runner’, while the other three were the syndicate leader’s right-hand men,” he said during a press conference at the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters today. Also present was Johor Deputy Police Chief Deputy Commissioner Hoo Chuan Huat.
Ab Rahaman said police found 50 plastic packets believed to contain methamphetamine during an inspection of the Perodua Bezza.
He said the seized drugs were valued at RM3.04 million and could have been distributed to approximately 303,900 drug users if they had reached the market.
The syndicate was believed to have been operating since May, using vehicles as storage facilities to keep drugs before distributing them to the local market.
“Following inspections, the vehicles used by this syndicate were not modified. The Perodua Bezza involved in the first raid belonged to the teenager’s grandfather.
“His grandfather allowed his grandson to use the vehicle despite him not having a driving licence. The two other vehicles inspected and seized belonged to another suspect and his associate,” he said.
Ab Rahaman said preliminary urine screening showed that three suspects, including the teenager, tested positive for methamphetamine, while five others tested negative for any drugs.
He added that background checks revealed four suspects, including the syndicate leader, had previous records involving drug-related and criminal offences.
“All suspects have been remanded for seven days until this Saturday for further investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act (ADB) 1952,” he said. - July 22, 2026
