GEORGE TOWN, Aug 28 ― The Penang police arrested seven members of a drug distribution syndicate and seized 427,600 “wy” pills worth RM8.55 million in three raids in the state on August 19 and 24.
Penang Police chief Datuk Seri A. Thaiveegan said seven men including three Community College students aged between 19 and 36 were arrested based on police intelligence over the last few weeks.
“On August 19, police stopped a Proton Wira with five men in Jalan Bagan Luar, Butterworth at 4.30am. Upon inspection of the vehicle, police found over 1,600 wy pills,” he said told a press conference here yesterday.
He said the outcome of the interrogation led police to raid an apartment unit in Bukit Mertajam at 8am on August 24 and seized 72,000 “wy” pills.
“The unit was rented out to an unemployed transgender person for RM1,200. It was used as a store to stock the pills.
Thaiveegan said in a follow-up action, police detained two men in Bandar Perai Jaya and Taman Kota Permai, Bukit Mertajam on August 24, and raided a store at 7.20pm and seized 354,000 pills.
He said the seven men who were members of the drug distribution syndicate were believed to have brought in the wy pills from neighbouring countries and made Penang a transit point before sending them to other states.
“We believe the state was just a transit point because the pills were kept in the store. The pills would then be sent away to other places as Penang is not the actual market for ‘wy’ pills,” Thaiveegan said.
He said a single “wy” pill was priced at RM20 and the seized pills could be used by over 400,000 drug addicts.
“The first five men arrested would be remanded until August 31, while the other two until September 2. Three of them have previous criminal and drug-related records,” he said.
The case was being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. ― Bernama
