KUALA LUMPUR: Police have busted a drug syndicate masterminded by a Thai woman with the arrest of four individuals and the seizure of RM520,000 worth of methamphetamine in a series of raids here on Friday (Aug 23).
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid said the suspects, aged 23 to 30, were detained between 7pm and 9.15pm.
He said the syndicate was believed to have been active for the past two months, and its modus operandi was using vehicles to store drugs before distributing them to buyers.
"In the first raid, a Thai married couple who both work in restaurants and a local man working at a horse farm in Selangor were arrested by the roadside of Taman Permata, Cheras.
"Checks revealed that the suspects did not have a criminal record but tested positive for drugs.
"The arrest has led the police to the discovery of 15 packets of methamphetamine weighing 16 kilogrammes at a car park in Solaris Dutamas," he said in a statement on Friday.
Allaudeen said the police then arrested another suspect, a Thai woman believed to be the mastermind of the syndicate at the lobby of a residence in Taman Kobena, Cheras.
He said initial investigation revealed that the drugs could cater to 30,000 drug users and during the raids, the police also seized a vehicle estimated to be worth RM20,000.
"The Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (JSJN) is still conducting an investigation to trace the source of the drug supply," Allaudeen said.
All the suspects had been remanded for seven days until Aug 24 and the case was being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Meanwhile, Allaudeen urged the public to channel any information related to drug activities to the JSJN hotline at 012-208 7222. - Bernama