KUALA LUMPUR: More than RM11mil worth of drugs were seized following raids at a luxury condominium in Batu Caves.
Bukit Aman Narcotic Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Comm Datuk Seri Khaw Kok Chin said the raids were conducted at about 2.30pm on Sunday (Feb 9).
"We detained a 31-year-old man as he was getting out of an elevator at the condominium.
"He then led the raiding team to an SUV at the condominium's parking lot.
"We seized 50 packets labelled 'Chinese tea' that were filled with syabu as well as 32 packets of ketamine," he told a press conference in Bukit Aman on Monday (Feb 10).
Further checks at a condominium unit rented by the suspect led to further seizures of drugs, he said.
"We seized more syabu and ketamine filled in Chinese tea packets at the unit," he added.
In total, some 88.81kg of syabu and 171.75kg of ketamine worth RM11.43mil were seized in the raids, Comm Khaw said.
"The drugs could have been supplied to 1.02 million drug addicts," he said.
Comm Khaw said the syndicate used the condominium unit for drug storage.
"The suspect detained was the store caretaker responsible for transporting the drugs.
"We believe he had just received a fresh batch of drugs and he was in the midst of unloading the drugs from the vehicle when the raid occurred.
"We conducted intelligence gathering and surveillance for about a month before conducting the raids," he said.
The drugs were believed to have been supplied from the "Golden Triangle" through a neighbouring country, Comm Khaw said.
"The suspect was paid a basic salary of RM10,000 a month.
"On top of that, he received a commission of at least RM2,000 for transporting drugs and storing it at the condominium.
"The amount of commission depends on the scale of drugs being transported," he said.
Investigations showed the syndicate has been active since December last year, he said.
"The suspect also tested positive for ketamine.
"We are investigating further to uncover the rest of the syndicate, including its mastermind," he added.
In another case, four men and a woman aged between 36 and 46 years old, were detained while RM1.4mil worth of drugs were seized following raids in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor on Feb 4, Comm Khaw said.
"We seized various drugs including drug mixture juices, heroin base, syabu, MDMA powder, ecstasy pills and ganja.
"The syndicate leader has been identified as a 46-year-old man who was among those detained.
"The woman detained is the girlfriend of one of the suspects," he said.
Comm Khaw said the syndicate would produce drug juices and supply it to entertainment outlets in the Klang Valley.
"They have been active since October last year," he said.
Three of those detained, including the mastermind, were hardcore drug offenders, he said.
"The mastermind had 16 prior criminal offences while the two other men had 15 and eight offences, respectively.
"We will track down remnants of the syndicate," he said.
The drugs seized could have been supplied to 72,752 drug users, he added.
Comm Khaw said both successful operations were proof that the NCID will always conduct continuous raids on drug syndicates.
"I may be near to retirement but I have never relented in working hard and my team follows suit.
"Our motto is no day will pass without an operation (conducted)," he said.
He said the NCID needs the cooperation of the public in combating the drug menace.
"We urge those with information on drug-related activities to contact the NCID hotline at 012-2087222," he said.
