GEORGE TOWN: The reign of a drug syndicate came to an end after four months when police seized 112.1kg of cannabis and cannabis buds worth RM3.72mil.
Four men, aged between 31 and 39, including a Vietnamese national, were arrested in an operation on the Penang mainland.
Acting Penang police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin said two local men were nabbed in a hotel room and the third, believed to be the transporter, at the hotel lobby in Bukit Mertajam on Tuesday.
A canvas bag containing 9.23kg of cannabis and 4.23kg of cannabis buds was seized during the 10am raid.
He added that the transporter, who was paid between RM3,000 and RM4,000 for each delivery, had just completed two trips before his arrest.
Further interrogation on the men led to the arrest of the Vietnamese national in the Seberang Jaya area at about 3am on Wednesday.
“The foreigner led us to a nearby homestay that had been used as a drug storage facility. Upon inspection, we found six bags containing 111 transparent packages of cannabis buds, weighing a total of 98.6kg.
“The drugs seized could have been used by up to 230,000 people,” he said in a press conference at the Penang contingent police headquarters here yesterday.
DCP Mohd Alwi said the drugs were smuggled from a neighbouring country and intended for distribution in Penang and Kuala Lumpur via land routes.
Three of the suspects tested positive for drugs and all four have been remanded for seven days for further investigation.
“During the raid, we also seized RM1,300 in cash and three vehicles valued at RM198,000,” he said.
