Big haul: Comm Noor Hisam (second from left) and his team found an abandoned car filled with drugs worth RM4.67mil near Loji Taman Pulai Savana in Gerik. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star
IPOH: What seemed like just another sports utility vehicle (SUV) abandoned near a residential area in Gerik, took a dark turn when police uncovered a large quantity of drugs worth over RM4.67mil hidden inside.
Perak police chief Comm Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin said the incident occurred on June 6 at about 1am near a treatment plant at Taman Pulai Savana.
He said the vehicle appeared to have been there for a while, which drew suspicion from the public and prompted the patrol car, and later a criminal investigation team to inspect.
He said checks inside the vehicle’s boot revealed a total of 123,165g of drugs consisting of 80 packets of methamphetamine and 39 packets of ketamine worth over RM4.67mil, among the biggest seizure in the state up to now for this year.
“However, the driver of the SUV was no where to be found.
“Checks on the SUV’s chassis showed it was tampered and the engine numbers altered,” he told a press conference at the state police contingent’s headquarters here yesterday.
Comm Noor Hisam said police suspect the vehicle was left at the site for about 30 minutes as the engine was still warm.
“We believe the drugs were intended for distribution within Perak and possibly neighbouring states. We suspect they entered Perak from a neighbouring state via Gerik, and we are still investigating why the vehicle was abandoned at the location.
“The vehicle was in a good condition and operational.
“Upon checking with the Road Transport Department, the chassis number belongs to a nurse in Serdang, Selangor, and we believe the vehicle to be a clone,” he said.
The case he said is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
