NILAI: The Customs Department has seized 2.5 tonnes of goat and camel milk powder mixed with ketamine worth an estimated RM100mil, says Department director-general Datuk Abdul Latif Abdul Kadir
He said it was the largest haul in terms of quantity and value this year and added that the drugs were found in a 20-foot container in Port Klang on June 4.
"The container had been shipped in from a South Asian country and its cargo was declared as goat and camel milk powder.
"Upon closer inspection, we found that the milk powder had been mixed with ketamine," he told reporters at the Customs (Narcotics) headquarters in Kg Jijan here.
The milk powder and the ketamine were packed separately in 25g sachets. Each box contained 20 sachets.
Abdul Latif said preliminary probes revealed that the milk powder was produced locally and had been exported to the South Asian country last December.
However, the cargo was shipped back to Malaysia simply because its packaging did not comply with the standards of the importer.
"We became suspicious because exported goods are usually sent back if it were of an inferior quality. This is the first time that we know of our cargo being shipped back because it did not meet the packaging standards of the importing country," he said.
A 55-year-old foreigner and a 40-year-old Malaysian woman have been detained to assist in the probe.
"We believe we have crippled an international syndicate and that there are more individuals involved," he said, adding that the two suspects were business partners.
Abdul Latif said as part of its investigations, Customs would also be questioning the proprietors of the company that produced the milk and added that the company had been operating for some time.
The case is being probed under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which provides the death penalty or life imprisonment and caning upon conviction.
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