IPOH: A substantial quantity of drugs was discovered inside a suspicious sports utility vehicle (SUV) left by the roadside near a residential area in Gerik.
Perak police chief Comm Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin stated the incident occurred on June 6 at approximately 1am near a treatment plant at Taman Pulai Savana.
The vehicle's prolonged presence raised public suspicion, prompting a patrol car and later a criminal investigation team MPV to inspect it.
Inside the locked vehicle, authorities found 123,165gm of drugs, including 80 packets of methamphetamine and 39 packets of ketamine, valued at over RM4.67mil.
This marks one of the largest seizures in the state for the first half of the year.
"The drugs were found exposed inside the bonnet, with the driver nowhere to be found," Comm Noor Hisam said during a press conference at the state police contingent's headquarters on June 11.
Checks revealed the SUV’s chassis had been tampered with, and the engine numbers altered.
Police suspect the vehicle was at the site for about 30 minutes, as the engine was still warm.
The seized drugs could have supplied around 350,000 addicts, nearly half the population of Ipoh.
"We believe the drugs were meant for distribution within Perak and possibly neighbouring states.
"They likely entered Perak from a neighbouring state via Gerik, and we are investigating why the vehicle was abandoned," he noted.
The SUV, in good operational condition, was found to be a clone, with the chassis number registered to a nurse in Serdang, Selangor.
The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
