KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Federal narcotics police today announced the seizure of about 3.4 tonnes of methamphetamine — worth around RM170 million and enough to supply roughly half of Malaysia’s population — and the dismantling of a Klang Valley-based drug distribution syndicate.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said authorities also arrested two male locals aged 38 and 44 during several raids conducted on March 2.
“Both suspects were detained while transporting the drugs kept in gunny sacks from a terraced house to a lorry at a house in Taman Gembira,” he told a press conference at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) here.
Upon inspection, Hussein said enforcers discovered 128 gunny sacks containing 3,205 packages of drugs weighing about 3.3 tonnes.
Following the suspects’ arrest, he said a follow-up search was conducted at another terraced house in Taman Overseas Union Garden near Jalan Klang Lama where three more gunny sacks and drug packages were found, bringing the total number of packages seized to 3,284.
Hussein said both the suspects, one a transporter and the other, a syndicate member, were tasked with transporting the drugs from the north of the peninsula for distribution in the south.
Active since last December, Hussein said it was believed the syndicate trafficked the drugs from the infamous Golden Triangle region where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet.
“The drugs have just arrived in the Klang Valley and were being prepped for distribution here, East Malaysia and neighbouring countries like Indonesia and Philippines.
“Some 17 million people could be affected if the drugs entered the market,” Hussein added.
Both suspects have been remanded until March 16 for investigations.
