SHAH ALAM: Two drug syndicates running on land and at sea have been crippled in two operations by Bukit Aman, with more than RM20mil worth of narcotics and a loaded pistol seized in a sweeping crackdown.
In coordinated raids across Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and the coastal waters of Sekinchan on Feb 12, officers from the Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) uncovered a trafficking network that hid drugs in cars and vape cartridges, as well as another that used speedboats to ferry supplies across borders.
Department director Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the first operation involved four raids in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, leading to the arrest of four men and one woman aged between 27 and 37.
The suspects included the syndicate leader, his girlfriend, a syndicate member and two runners.
During the raids, police seized various types of drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, MDMA, cannabis, ecstasy and Erimin 5, with a total estimated value of RM8.4mil. This included drug-filled vape cartridges.
“The price of the cartridges sold will be based on the drugs they contain, ranging between RM300 and RM500 each,” he told a press conference at the state police contingent headquarters here.
He added that the syndicate has been active since July 2025 and it has ties to other organised crime groups.
The syndicate also concealed drugs in vehicles parked at specific locations, which buyers then collected.
Two of the suspects have been granted police bail, while the rest have been remanded for between 13 and 14 days starting Feb 13.
The second operation involved two raids on a drug syndicate that operated within and outside Malaysian waters. The raids led to the arrest of two men and one woman.
“All foreign nationals aged between 26 and 53 were caught in the Sekinchan area,” he said.
Follow-up investigations led to a raid at a fishing jetty in the same area, where around 152 packets of suspected methamphetamine, five packets of suspected ecstasy, and around 2,000 MDMA pills were seized inside a boat.
“The total estimated value of the seized drugs is around RM12.6mil. The police also found a pistol with a loaded magazine alongside 45 rounds of ammunition in the boat,” he said.
One male suspect was the group’s coordinator, while the other was the boatman and runner. The female was found to be married to one of the suspects.
“The syndicate is believed to have been active since early 2021. Their modus operandi involved using speedboats to transport drugs to neighbouring countries for distribution.
“Initial urine screenings found that the first and second suspects tested positive for methamphetamine, while the third suspect tested negative for any drugs,” he said.
He added that the two suspects claimed to be fishermen and were staying in the country. They, however, did not have the relevant documents.
All suspects have been remanded until Feb 26.
“We believe that the drugs were being transported to another boat waiting for them at sea. We are working with our counterparts in Indonesia on this matter,” he said.
