GEORGE TOWN: Police busted an international trafficking syndicate with the seizure of 183.6kg of syabu worth RM6.085mil in a series of raids in Penang and Kuala Lumpur.
Penang police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said five foreign nationals and a local man were arrested during the operation between March 29 and March 30.
He said the suspects were aged between 21 and 45.
He said the first raid was conducted at 6pm on Wednesday (March 29) in Juru Auto city where police found five black plastic blocks containing 178 packs of drugs believed to be syabu weighing about 183.6kg worth RM6.085mil in a car.
"During the raid, we also detained a foreign man," he said during a press conference at Batu Uban marine police base on Friday (March 31).
Comm Mohd Shuhaily said following the arrest police arrested another two foreign men believed to be connected with the syndicate around the area.
Comm Mohd Shuhaily said police also raided another location at Kuala Sungai Juru and arrested another two foreign nationals and seized a fibre boat with its two engines worth about RM380,000.
He said police believed the boat was used to ferry the drugs to a neighbouring country.
He said police raided another location in the early morning of Thursday (March 30) at Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur where a local man was arrested.
He said police also seized RM500,000 from the suspect.
He said beside the fibre boat, police seized seven vehicles worth RM1.38mil during the operation.
"Our intelligence found the syndicate is believed to have been active since the middle of 2022 and some of those arrested are fishermen, labourers and unemployed.
"The urine tests on all suspects were negative but two of the suspects have previous records on drug-related offences and criminals," he said, adding that the total seizure from the operation is RM8.319mil.
All the suspects are in remand for seven days beginning on March 31 until April 5 for investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
