POLICE have dismantled three separate drug-trafficking syndicates in Penang following the arrest of seven suspects, including a married couple, and the seizure of various drugs worth RM3.2 million in a series of raids.
Penang police chief Datuk Dennis Lim said the operations, conducted between Aug 15 and 22, involved the state Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) and narcotics teams from the Northeast, North Seberang Perai (SPU) and Central Seberang Perai (SPT) districts.
He said the operations followed several months of intelligence gathering and surveillance.
“Based on investigations, the syndicate in the Northeast district was masterminded by a married couple, aged 26 and 25 respectively. They are believed to have obtained cannabis and cannabis buds from a neighbouring country before distributing them in Penang.
“They are believed to have been involved in the activity since May,” he told reporters in George Town today.
During raids in the Northeast district on Aug 15 and 16, police arrested four suspects — three men and a woman — aged between 25 and 35.
Police seized 38.3kg of cannabis powder, 11.5kg of cannabis buds, 14kg of methamphetamine, 5kg of ketamine, 16kg of ecstasy pills and 4,000 Erimin 5 tablets.
In SPU, two men aged 23 and 46 were arrested in separate raids in Butterworth on Aug 15 and 19.
Police seized 3.25kg and 1.3kg of MDMA powder from the two suspects respectively.
Lim said investigations found that the pair had obtained MDMA packaged in various instant beverage sachets from a drug distribution network.
The drugs were then sold to customers in Penang, particularly at entertainment outlets.
“They are believed to have been involved in the activity for the past three months and sold the MDMA powder at prices starting from RM100.
“Further investigations are underway to identify the syndicate's network involved in processing and distributing the MDMA,” he said.
Meanwhile, police in SPT arrested a 28-year-old unemployed man during a raid at an apartment in Bukit Mertajam on Aug 22.
The raid resulted in the seizure of 8.5kg of MDMA powder, 1,755 ecstasy pills, 100 Erimin 5 tablets, 0.63kg of ketamine and nine cartridges containing liquid methamphetamine.
Lim said the suspect had been remanded until Aug 29 and the case was being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
He said urine screenings found that four of the seven suspects tested positive for morphine, amphetamine and methamphetamine.
Police checks also found that five of the suspects had previous criminal and drug-related records.
Police also seized vehicles and motorcycles with a combined value of RM89,000 during the operations.
Lim stressed that the three groups were separate syndicates with no links to one another.
“The three groups are different. They are separate groups operating in different areas,” he said.
He said investigations into all three cases were continuing, including efforts to identify other members involved and trace the sources and distribution networks behind the seized drugs. - August 28, 2026
