JOHOR BARU – Johor police busted a drug trafficking syndicate and arrested two suspects before seizing various types of drugs worth RM3.22 million after carrying out raids at three separate locations in the city on Tuesday.
Johor police chief Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said the two suspects, aged 34 and 38, believed to be working as storekeepers, were detained by a team from the Narcotics Crime Investigations Department from the Johor police headquarters between 3.15pm and 5pm on Tuesday.
“During the raid, police seized 119,750 erimin 5 pills, 5,360g of ecstasy powder, 903g of ketamine, 865g of ecstasy pills, and 270g of magic mushrooms. The drugs seized can cater to 145,928 drug addicts,” he told reporters at the Johor headquarters here today.
Kamarul Zaman said the modus operandi of the syndicate, believed to have been active since January, used houses in gated and guarded locations to store the drugs before distributing them to the local market.
Police also seized syndicate assets worth RM210,450, comprising cash, jewellery, and four vehicles, said Kamarul Zaman.
He added that one of the suspects tested positive for drugs (benzo) while the other, though not positive for drugs, had previous criminal records for drug-related offences.
Both the suspects will be remanded until March 28 to facilitate investigations while the case would be investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Kamarul Zaman said since January 1, Johor police had detained 3,967 individuals for various drug-related offences while 849.22kg of drugs worth RM9.59 million and property worth RM3.89 million had been seized. – Bernama, March 23, 2023