SHAH ALAM, Dec 21 — Police today uncovered an international drug smuggling syndicate that recruited teenagers here to be drug "mules” after with the arrest of 19 people in the past one week.

Selangor deputy police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Ab Rashid Ab Wahab said the 19 were rounded up in separate operations in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor from December 13.

In the first raid, two suspects aged 16 and 39 were detained at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport International departure hall around 9.40am on December 13.

Ab Rashid said police approached the duo to conduct a full body check after noticing they were behaving suspiciously while at the check-in counter.

"We found 4kg of packaged syabu strapped to their thighs and calves,” he said.

A check on the suspects showed the teenager was not schooling while the 39-year-old man was found to be a restaurant helper bound for a flight to Taiwan.

Ab Rashid said in the second raid on December 14, police caught 17 people, including a 14-year-old girl, in Damansara, Petaling Jaya and Cheras, Kuala Lumpur on December 14.

He added that police seized a total of RM1.13 million worth of syabu believed to be targeted for distribution in East Asia, where prices were six times higher.

He said initial investigations showed the syndicate has been active for several months and their modus operandi was to strap packaged drugs onto the bodies of their teen carriers.

Ab Rashid also said several hotels near airports were used by the syndicate as a checkpoint to wrap and pack the drugs.

"In order to entice the teenagers to join their smuggling activities, the syndicate provided lodging facilities such as hotels and meal accommodations to them.

"The syndicate has also a well-planned network of transit points to prepare the mules before they fly out of the country,” he said.

Ab Rashid said a total of 259 individuals were nabbed for drug abuse and four drug dens crippled under Ops Sarang conducted at hotspots in Kajang and Sabak Bernam,.

Police also picked up 159 drug dealers actively distributing drugs in Selangor and have been placed in rehabilitation centers for two years.

Since January, Erimin 5 pills were the biggest drug seizure to date at 2,529,901 pills followed by ganja at 556.2kg.

The remainder seizure are as follow:

Heroin – 66.2kg Ganja plant – 61 pots Cocaine – 22.5kg Syabu – 172.8kg Ketamine – 326.3kg Ecstasy – 95.9kg Yaba pills – 825g

The Selangor Narcotic Crime Investigations Department recorded a total of 17,489 arrests involving various drug offences since January to November this year.