RM17.53mil in drugs seized from two syndicates

KAJANG: Drugs worth some RM17.53mil were seized, after police brought down two drug syndicates operating in the Klang Valley.

Among the items seized by the police in Kuala Lumpur and Kajang were 20.7kg of syabu, 84.2kg of Erimin 5 powder, 51kg of ketamine and 93.25kg of chemicals.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department acting director Deputy Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said police also arrested 10 men, aged between 28 and 69, following raids in Cheras and Kajang on May 28 and May 29.

"In the first series of raids, we arrested seven syndicate members and seized 20.7kg of syabu.

"The second series of raids in Kajang led us to another syndicate's drug processing lab, where the bulk of the drugs discovered were seized. Three men were arrested," he told a press conference at the site of a drug processing lab in Kajang on Friday (May 31).

One of three suspects arrested at the drug lab was a 69-year-old man, who was previously arrested in a major drug bust in Semenyih in 2004.

"He was released after serving his time in prison.

"He was just a regular drug runner 15 years ago, but now, he has 'graduated' to becoming the syndicate's chemist," DCP Kamarul Zaman said.

He added that the syndicate had been operating the drug lab for more than three months.

In both series of raids, 10 vehicles, including a Toyota Vellfire, Volkswagen Jetta, Mazda 6 and Lexus, were seized.

"The vehicles are worth more than RM1.5mil.

"We also seized more than RM200,000 cash and other items, along with drug processing equipment," he said.

The 84.2kg of Erimin 5 powder would have produced 421,000 pills, he added.

"The drugs would have catered to 700,000 addicts.

"We will continue our operations against the drug menace," he said.

Initial investigations revealed that the syndicates were catering to both the local and overseas markets, said DCP Kamarul Zaman.