Syndicates using new method to distribute drugs undetected

KUALA LUMPUR: Drug syndicates have found a way to offer drinkers of energy drinks or tea a new high by lacing them with crushed-up Ecstasy pills.

In a raid, believed to have crippled a “large-scale” Ecstasy-processing den, police seized over 35,000 Ecstasy pills worth RM3.5mil from a condominium in Jalan Kuchai Maju here on Oct 3.

But it was what the syndicates were doing with the drugs that intrigued police.

“We found that they were crushing the pills and mixing them into packets of tea powder and Red Bull drinks. We found 12kg packets of Chinese aromatic tea which had been mixed with several kinds of Ecstasy pills and then repackaged.

“Syndicates were also mixing Red Bull with crushed-up pills and selling them in small dropper bottles. We have never seen anything like this before,” said investigating offi­cer Insp Muhammad Shah Rezza Abdul Rahim.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim said the new find was of great concern as it allowed syndicates to distribute drugs in an inconspicuous manner.

At a press conference in Bukit Aman, Comm Noor Rashid also an­­nounced the recent arrests of three drug mules who attempted to smuggle over RM1.7mil worth of methamphetamine through the KL Inter­national Airport.

One of them was a South African who arrived in the country from Johannesburg, and was found to have been carrying 5.3kg of syabu inside two bottles of bodybuilding protein supplements on Oct 1.

Comm Noor Rashid said a week later, two Iranian men were held for attempting to smuggle 3.6kg of syabu powder stuffed inside the spaces in between cardboard sheets used to line the sides of their bags.

“All three have been remanded for seven days and face the death penalty if found guilty.

“The police are always tightening surveillance and security around our airports to make sure that these points do not become a place of entry for drugs,” he said.

In another case, police arrested a man and his wife who are believed to be supplying Ecstasy to entertainment centres in the city, and confiscated about RM1.5mil worth of Ecstasy, psychotropic pills and ganja from their home in Setapak.