BUKIT MERTAJAM: A drug trafficking ring was busted with the arrest of five men and the seizure of syabu and heroin worth RM155,010, Penang police said.
Penang police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said jewellery and luxury vehicles worth RM860,350 were also seized during a series of raids in the state yesterday.
The State Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) raided five locations between 1.30pm and 2.45pm, during which the five suspects, aged between 33 and 50, were arrested.
“In the first roadside raid in Permatang Pauh, police arrested two men and seized heroin weighing 251g along with 106g of syabu,” he said in a statement today.
The two men then led police to another location where the authorities found 21 packets of heroin weighing 9,485g, one greenish plastic packet containing syabu (1,030g) and four packets of syabu weighing 409g,” Hamzah added.
Follow-up operations in the parking lots of supermarkets in Seberang Jaya and Bukit Tambun also resulted in the arrest of another three men.
Hamzah said investigations and intelligence indicated the syndicate had been actively trafficking drugs since the middle of last year, and its members were believed to be living extravagant lives off the proceeds.
The syndicate is believed to have sourced drugs from neighbouring countries before packaging them into small quantities and selling them to locals.
Hamzah said preliminary investigations found that the 33-year-old man, who masqueraded as a trader, had been in charge of the syndicate.
The others worked as a security guard, goat-farm keeper and Grab driver, while another was unemployed.
Following the arrests, police seized jewellery, luxury designer watches and seven vehicles, including a Toyota Vellfire, a Honda CR-V, a Mercedes-Benz and a Mazda.
“Urine tests found that two of them tested positive for drugs, while three of the suspects had criminal records,” he said.
All of them will be remanded for a period of seven days until April 24 and will be investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
