JOHOR BAHRU, July 22 — Police have dismantled a synthetic drug ring after arresting eight individuals, including a 16-year-old teenager, in a series of three raids across the city.

The operations, conducted on July 18, netted 50 plastic packets of suspected methamphetamine weighing 60.78kg, with a street value estimated at RM3.04 million. 

Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad confirmed that the arrests were the result of intelligence gathered by the Johor Bahru South district police’s Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division (NCID).

The suspects, aged between 16 and 78, include a foreign national.

“The first raid was carried out in a parking lot near a hotel in Johor Bahru, which led to the arrest of four local men and a foreigne,” he said.

During the search, police discovered the 60.78kg of methamphetamine hidden inside a Perodua Bezza belonging to the grandfather of the 16-year-old suspect.

A subsequent raid at the same hotel led to the arrest of three more local men.

Initial investigations suggest a calculated hierarchy within the syndicate. The teenager and a foreign national allegedly served as the ring's couriers, while another suspect acted as a runner. Two other individuals are believed to be the right-hand men to a seventh suspect, a man in his 50s identified as the alleged mastermind. An eighth suspect is believed to have been the operation's main planner.

The syndicate had reportedly been active since early May, using vehicles as mobile warehouses to store illicit drugs before distributing them into the local market. The volume of the seizure is estimated to be enough to supply 303,900 addicts.

The tragedy of the case is further highlighted by the 16-year-old suspect, who had dropped out of school in January last year. Initial screenings revealed that three suspects, including the teenager, tested positive for methamphetamine abuse. Police also found that four of the suspects have prior criminal records.

Beyond the drugs, police seized assets worth RM100,162 under the Dangerous Drugs (Forfeiture of Property) Act 1988, including a Toyota Camry, a Proton Saga, and various pieces of jewellery. The total value of the drugs and confiscated assets is estimated at RM3.14 million.

All eight suspects are currently remanded until July 25 to assist in investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.