KUALA LUMPUR: A drug syndicate led by a Singaporean has been busted with the seizure of RM21.8mil in narcotics and the arrest of two suspects.
A 64-year-old Singaporean man and a 48-year-old local man were detained in Taman Desa Petaling here on Saturday (Aug 10).
Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Comm Datuk Seri Khaw Kok Chin said a traditional medicine shop in Taman Desa Petaling was raided at about 2pm.
"We detained a local man, who we believe was the syndicate's runner, and seized 209.5kg of erimin 5 pills.
"Further action led to the arrest of the Singaporean suspect some 30m from the shop.
"We had to stop his car before apprehending him.
"Some 5.5kg of ecstasy pills were seized from the car," he told a press conference at KL police headquarters here on Monday (Aug 12).
Further investigation revealed that the medicine shop was owned by the suspected ringleader's daughter, he said.
"We believe they were using the shop as a cover to store the drugs.
"The drugs seized are worth RM21.8mil and could have been supplied to 1.1 million drug users," he said.
The syndicate has been operating since early this year, Comm Khaw added.
"We believe they got their supply from overseas for distribution on the local market, especially in the Klang Valley.
"Both suspects do not have any criminal record. We previously detained the Singaporean suspect but the case was not prosecuted.
"We also discovered that his passport has expired," he said, adding that the suspects have been remanded until Friday (Aug 16).
"We also seized the syndicate's assets including cars and cash worth RM59,000.
"We will continue to track down and detain syndicate members who are still at large," he said.
Comm Khaw urged the public to continue supplying information on drug-related activities by contacting the NCID at 012-2087222.
"Cooperation from the public is essential in combating the drug menace," he said.
