Police confirm death of M’sian who was allegedly marijuana crop sitter

KUALA LUMPUR – Police have confirmed media reports on the death of a Malaysian citizen in New South Wales, Australia.

In a statement, Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said Australian authorities had found the remains of a person who was believed to have been murdered more than a year ago.

He said checks revealed that the victim was a Malaysian citizen from Sarawak who was aged 25.

Ayob said the victim was believed to have entered Australia in 2016 with a tourist visa and was offered a job as a crop sitter for a foreign syndicate involved in cultivating drugs.

“Investigations are still being carried out by Australian authorities and any developments in the probe will be relayed to PDRM (police) for further action,” Ayob said.

“PDRM has urged all quarters to not make any speculation to avoid creating confusion among the public.”

Ayob’s confirmation came after Australian authorities charged a group of men on Wednesday over the alleged murder of “Jacky” Chong Kai Wong in 2020.

The three men, aged 22, 28, and 33, have been arrested and charged over the past week following search warrants issued for western Sydney houses.

According to local news reports, police launched an investigation last June to probe into the manufacturing and supply of prohibited drugs by a criminal syndicate, but they uncovered information about the disappearance of Chong in 2020 instead.

Yesterday, New South Wales police said they found the remains of a person believed to be Chong. The body was found in a rural property at Killongbutta, which is situated in Australia’s central west area.

Police allege that Wong was involved in the syndicate when he died.

In a report by The Sydney Morning Herald, police said Chong was apparently in Australia on holiday.

But he was possibly working as a crop sitter for a Southeast Asian syndicate cultivating commercial amounts of marijuana on a rural property 40km from Bathurst.

The authorities said Chong stayed at the property and took care of 500 to 1,000 marijuana plants.

Meanwhile, according to news.com.au, Wong had been in Sydney since 2016 and last spoke to his Malaysia-based family on December 28, 2020.

After his disappearance, it is alleged one of the suspects Junqi Huang made attempts to extort money from Chong’s family by offering information about the latter’s whereabouts in exchange for money.

However, the police said Chong’s family based in Malaysia refused to pay and are “enormously upset” about his alleged murder.

Detective superintendent John Watson said his officers are “convinced the murder took place at the property” in Killongbutta, northwest of Bathurst, which they allege was used as a cannabis cultivation farm. – The Vibes, April 5, 2022