KUALA LUMPUR: Eight more suspects linked to a Sabah-based drug ring allegedly led by a Datuk are still at large, according to police.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said that the eight suspects included four Filipinos and an Indonesian.
Malaysians Haibil Kiraman, Sahairul Din Sabudin and Absar Musa are currently listed as wanted by the police.
The deputy IGP identified Haibil as a former policeman who retired early in Nov 2021.
Hasan Syamsuddin aka Nas Botak, Joel Edwin aka Dedek, Muhammad Sing Harun Musa aka Thambi from the Philippines and Rohani Mohd Yunus aka Karisa from Indonesia are also currently wanted for their ties to the syndicate.
Three more suspects, who are currently detained at Pusat Pemulihan Akhlak (PPA), will also be charged on March 1.
“They are syndicate members. It is possible that they acted as transporters and the like,” he said.The deputy IGP added that 42 more bank accounts have been frozen between Dec 22 and Jan 19, with an estimated value of RM1.8mil.
“Seventy-six premises in Sabah have also been examined in Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Semporna and Keningau,” he said yesterday.
On Monday, a Datuk and 10 others allegedly linked to the drug syndicate operating out of Sabah were charged in the Sessions Court in Kota Kinabalu as being involved with a criminal organisation.
No plea was recorded following the charges against the 11 men before Sessions Court judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim, who set March 1 for the case to be mentioned and for it to be transferred to the High Court.
All 11, who are members of Geng Upik, were accused of being involved with organised crime at different times between early 2015 and Dec 24 last year.
Meanwhile, regarding the recent spat of “bad cops” that had come to light, the deputy IGP reiterated his stance that the police will not compromise on their internal investigations into the bad apples of the force.
“It doesn’t matter what the percentage (of rogue cops) are, we will not compromise.
“For me, even if it is only a small number, these are the ones that tarnish the image of the force as a whole,” he said, adding that it has been proven that the police take action on such cases.
He added that for many of these bad cops, they were fine in the beginning but might have been influenced down the line.
He also said that the lack of supervision on police SOPs was also a possible factor.
