JOHOR BARU: A Singaporean and a local man have been arrested by police here for operating a syndicate dealing with drug-laced vape cartridges.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said two men, aged 38 and 25, were arrested in separate raids around Johor Baru at 1.35am on Jan 29.
“The local was arrested in front of a bank in Taman Mount Austin, which led us to a house in Taman Setia Indah where 3,200 units of drug-filled vape cartridges and 48 packets of ecstasy powder were found.
“The vape cartridges were believed to contain 11.20 litres of ketamine liquid and the seized drugs were valued at around RM970,000,” he told a press conference at the state police headquarters here yesterday.
Comm Ab Rahaman added that the Singaporean male suspect was arrested separately in Taman Molek, where a car and cash totalling RM136,850 were also seized.
Based on initial investigations, he said the local suspect acted as a distributor, while the Singaporean was believed to be responsible for managing the syndicate’s operations and finances.
The syndicate is believed to have been active here since December, he added.
“Their modus operandi involved using a house as a storage facility and employing runners who used a drop-off point method at designated locations for customers or agents to collect the drugs,” Comm Ab Rahaman said.
He said that each vape cartridge contained about 3.4 ml of ketamine and was sold by the syndicate for RM300 each.
Both suspects, who tested negative for drugs and had no prior police records, were remanded until today for investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
If convicted, the duo could face the death penalty or life imprisonment and at least 12 strokes of the rotan.
