JOHOR BARU: The extravagant lives of three Singaporeans ended suddenly when their recently formed drug syndicate was dismantled following the capture of a local associate.
Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said the case began with a robbery at a snooker parlour in Stulang Laut, here at 6am on Jan 17.
“A 36-year-old suspect managed to escape with RM1,060 in cash after threatening the cashier with a folding knife.
“The suspect was apprehended on Jan 22 at 4.20am by the Special Investigation Unit (D9) on Jalan Dato' Abdullah Tahir,” he said during a press conference at the Johor Baru South District Police Headquarters on Monday (Jan 27).
Investigations revealed the suspect had six prior criminal records, including drug-related offences, and tested positive for methamphetamine.
He is remanded until Jan 28 for further investigation under Sections 392 and 397 of the Penal Code for armed robbery.
ACP Raub added that the man was found in possession of 3.7kg of drugs, believed to be ganja, ketamine and heroin, worth almost RM50,000.
“He admitted the drugs belonged to other syndicate members and that he was only acting as the group’s distributor,” he said.
Following the arrest, the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department conducted two raids on Jan 22 in Johor Baru.
“These operations led to the arrests of four individuals: two Singaporean men, a Singaporean woman, and a Thai woman, aged 30 to 40.
“Initial urine tests showed that all suspects tested positive for amphetamines. One of the Singaporean men, aged 33, was also wanted for previous drug offences,” he said.
ACP Raub noted that this suspect was believed to be the group's mastermind, which had been active since December 2024.
“The syndicate operated out of a rented apartment used for packaging and storing drugs before distribution.
“Their operation involved mixing drugs into e-cigarette flavour cartridges, which were sold for between RM150 and RM200 each,” he said.
During the operation, police seized a large quantity of drugs, including 2,277.10g of heroin valued at RM21,860, 1,062.80g of cannabis valued at RM3,447, 590.66g of ketamine valued at RM42,552, 174.00g of ecstasy powder valued at RM29,058, 6.30g of syabu (methamphetamine) valued at RM690, 1.30g of Erimin 5 pills valued at RM100, and 13,673ml of liquid suspected to contain drugs.
Additionally, the police confiscated RM540 in cash, SGD300 (approximately RM972) in cash, a sports car and a motorcycle. The total value of the seized drugs and items is estimated at RM524,227.
All suspects are being held in remand until Jan 29 for further investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for drug trafficking, Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for drug consumption, and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for illegal stay in Malaysia.
ACP Raub urged the public to share any information about criminal activities and stressed the importance of strict enforcement to combat crime and drug syndicates in Johor Baru. Anyone with information can contact the police at 07-3864222 to assist with investigations.
