JOHOR BARU: In a mere four months, the inside of a house in Taman Sri Petaling here has been transformed into a multi-million ringgit Ecstasy pill producing laboratory to feed the addiction of some 200,000 users.
“The lab has been in operation for the past four months. It also acted as a transit point to produce drugs for export to Singapore and Indonesia,” said Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff.
Police recently busted the drug laboratory and confiscated RM8.1mil worth of drugs in street value.
Also seized were 58kg of Ecstasy powder and other chemicals used to make the psychotropic pills.
Six local men, aged between 37 and 45, were arrested at five different places in and around the city between 3.20pm on Friday and 12.20am on Saturday.
Two men were first nabbed at the drug lab, which led to the arrest of four accomplices in Taman Sutera, Century Garden, Bandar Permas Jaya and Taman Daya, said Comm Mohd Mokhtar at a press conference yesterday.
He added that the raid was conducted by his department, Bukit Aman Special Tactical Intelligence Narcotics Group (Sting) and the Johor Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department.
The pills were produced on China-made equipment and machines.
Police also found four air rifles, two pistols, two bullets in the drug lab and seized a Ducati and a Kawasaki motorcycle, three cars and RM5,140 in cash.
Five of those arrested tested positive for drugs. Two of them had previous criminal records. All have been remanded until Friday for investigations under Section 39(B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
“Drugs is our public enemy number one and these people do not deserve sympathy,” said Comm Mohd Mokhtar.
