JOHOR BARU, July 1 — The Johor police recently crippled an international drug syndicate that specialised in smuggling ecstasy pills to a neighbouring country by sea after a raid on a transit house in Sungai Rengit, Pengerang.
Johor deputy police chief Datuk Khaw Kok Chin said operatives raided the transit house last Sunday at 11am and managed to seize 47,600 pills believed to be ecstasy weighing 16kg that were hidden in a bag.
He said the ecstasy pills had an estimated street value of RM856,800.
“During the raid, the police also arrested two Indonesian men with permanent resident (PR) status, aged 51 and 60, as well as a 24-year-old local man.
“The police also confiscated a four-wheel drive Toyota Hilux, a mobile phone belonging to a suspect and cash amounting to RM1,300,” said Khaw during a press conference at the Johor police contingent headquarters here today.
According to Khaw, the modus operandi of the syndicate was to use the house as a transit point before smuggling the drugs to a neighbouring country by sea.
“We (police) have been tracking the syndicate’s activities for the past few months by following the two Indonesian men who acted as drug suppliers from Ulu Tiram to Rengit.
“After the drugs were stored at the transit house, the local male suspect who acted as a sea captain will smuggle the drugs to a neighbouring country.
“Police operatives followed the suspects from Johor Baru and only raided the premises after the drugs were transferred,” he said.
Khaw said initial investigations revealed that the syndicate had been operating since February last year.
“Checks on the suspect found that only the local man had a previous record related to crime and drugs. The suspect also tested positive for drugs during a urine test.
“The police are still conducting further investigations into this drug syndicate’s network and do not rule out the possibility of further arrests,” said Khaw.
All three suspects have been remanded for five days from last Monday to tomorrow to assist the investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
