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GEORGE TOWN – Penang police have made another major bust with the seizure of RM5.2 million worth of syabu in Batu Feringgi and Teluk Bahang.
Two men, including a Bangladesh national, were arrested and 144.7kg of syabu seized in the raids conducted on Friday and Saturday.
Penang police chief Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan said police uncovered the syndicate following the arrest of a 54-year-old unemployed man, who was initially spotted driving at Jalan Batu Feringghi, at 6.30pm on Friday.
“The suspect sped away to the beach area after realising the presence of police and then abandoned the car.
“However, police managed to arrest the man, who is believed to be the mastermind of the syndicate.
“Police searched the Mercedes Benz driven by the suspect and found 15 packets of syabu weighing 15kg worth RM540,000, a pistol, a magazine with 14 bullets and a box containing 39 rounds of live ammunition,” he told a media conference today.
Following the arrest of the suspect, he said, police also seized seven handphones and two Volkswagen cars before they raided a terrace house in Teluk Bahang, at 5pm Saturday, where the second suspect, the aforementioned 35-year-old Bangladeshi man, was arrested.
Sahabudin said that police found 129.7kg of syabu, believed to be worth RM4.6 million, in the house, which they believed was used to store the drugs.
Police also seized two cars, a Ford Ranger and Toyota Harrier, as well as a Yamaha motorcycle.
Initial investigations found that the syndicate, which had an international drug distribution network, obtained its supply from Thailand, and the contraband was kept at the house before it was smuggled to Indonesia by sea.
The syndicate was believed to carry out its dealings at sea to avoid being detection.
“The police are tracking down the remaining members of the syndicate and are also working with Indonesian police to track down its network in the republic,” said Sahabudin.
He said that both the suspects were in remand for seven days to assist a probe into drug trafficking and possession of firearms. – The Vibes, March 15, 2021
