Big haul: Comm Kamarul Zaman (second from left) showing some of the items seized in the raid.
JOHOR BARU: What started as an operation against a smuggling syndicate led to the discovery of a drug-processing laboratory inside a shipping container in Pasir Gudang, allegedly managed by a businessman with a Datuk title.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said the General Operations Force launched a special operation at a factory in Taman Pasir Putih near Pasir Gudang between 11am and 8pm on Monday.
“During the raid, we arrested three male suspects, including two foreigners, and seized 189,840 beer cans hidden inside several containers, with unpaid excise amounting to more than RM5.5mil.
“As we were inspecting other containers at the premises, one of my men found a mini drug-processing lab to produce Ecstasy as well as equipment to make the illegal substance,” he said, adding that police inspected 11 containers at the scene.
Comm Kamarul Zaman added that as a follow-up to the raid, the police launched two more raids around here until 4pm the next day, which led to the arrest of two more male suspects including the Datuk.
None of the five suspects, aged between 26 and 54, has a criminal record or tested positive for drugs, he told a press conference at the Seri Alam police headquarters here yesterday.
He said police seized 22.8kg of Ecstasy powder, 696g of Ecstasy pills and 182.9 litres of chemicals amounting to RM1.79mil.
The police also seized 10 cars including a Lamborghini and a Range Rover, gold jewellery and cash in various currencies with a total value of RM4.8mil.
