GEORGE TOWN, June 13 — Penang has turned out to be a haven of sorts for local syndicates, who base their operations on the island to produce drugs for the domestic and foreign markets. 

Bukit Aman Narcotics CID director Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim said syndicates preferred Penang because it was easily accessible by both land and sea. 

He said yesterday the syndicates would choose to produce drugs that were most in demand, which were currently heroin and syabu.

“For these syndicates, it’s a business. So, it is simply a case of demand and supply,” he said.

Noor Rashid said Penang was a hot spot for drug trafficking and distribution and police were monitoring the situation in the state.

“We are focusing on Penang as there have been far too many drug deals taking place. As you have noticed, we have busted many drug processing laboratories over the years,” he said.

Noor Rashid said police had done a good job in smashing these syndicates with many arrests.

On Tuesday, the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department from Bukit Aman and Penang busted a heroin processing lab and seized some RM1 million worth of drugs in Sungai Dua, Butterworth.

“We believe the operation was run by just one man, who processed the drugs and sold them.

“We also arrested another man in Alor Star, who is believed to have supplied the ingredients,” Noor Rashid said.

Police detained both men, aged 48 and 54, and would remand them for seven days from the date of arrest.

They confiscated 25.5kg of heroin, 1.9kg heroin base, 67.5kg caffeine and 2.4kg of syabu in liquid and solid form from the double-storey house.

This was the latest in a string of raids this year to cripple drug processing labs here.

On Feb 19, Bukit Aman’s Special Tactical Intelligence Narcotics Group busted a heroin processing lab in Solok Gangsa and seized drugs worth RM4.5 million. 

On March 4, police seized RM500,000 worth of drugs and paraphernalia in Alma, Bukit Mertajam.