JOHOR BARU: A police stakeout at a condominium turned into a major drug bust after police uncovered a hidden compartment in a car, leading to the seizure of over RM3mil worth of drugs and the arrest of three suspects.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk M. Kumar revealed that the local suspects—two men and a woman, aged between 33 and 46—were nabbed in a special operation involving four raids on Thursday (Feb 13).
"The first raid was conducted following a stakeout at the parking area of a condominium, where two of the suspects were arrested.
"Upon inspecting their vehicle, we discovered a modified hidden compartment, containing some drugs," he said at a press conference here on Friday (Feb 21).
The initial arrest led police to conduct three more raids at different locations, exposing a network of drug operations hidden in residences.
"We then raided a condominium unit at the same location, where we found more drugs. We believe this unit was their residence.
"This led to the next raid at another condominium about 5km away, revealing even more drugs. We believe the unit was being used as a storage facility for the drugs.
"The final raid at a landed house resulted in the discovery of additional drugs and the arrest of the third suspect," said Comm Kumar, adding that the police are still investigating the ownership of the seized car and rented properties.
All three suspects tested positive for drugs and had prior criminal records, with one of them being a wanted fugitive under Section 384 of the Penal Code for extortion.
"We believe we have captured the mastermind of this syndicate, which has been active since January. However, we suspect there are more members still at large, including runners distributing the drugs," he said, adding that the drugs were believed to be intended for the local market.
The bust led to the seizure of RM3.2 million worth of narcotics, enough to fuel the addiction of over 234,000 users.
"The confiscated drugs included 28.49kg of ketamine, 10.36kg of syabu, 4.97kg of cannabis, 2.59kg of ecstasy powder, 4.93kg of Erimin 5 pills, 2.18kg of ecstasy pills and 780g of MDMA powder," said Comm Kumar.
Police also seized RM46,540 in cash and several pieces of jewellery.
The suspects are being remanded until Feb 27, with the case being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
