Massive haul: Comm Khaw (second from right) showing the drugs seized while Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan (third from right) and other officers look on during a press conference at the Kajang district police headquarters. — LOW BOON TAT/The Star
KAJANG: From tea bags to detergent, drug syndicates have used various ways to smuggle their illicit goods.
The latest attempt – filling sacks of Thai rice with drugs – was foiled by the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) from Bukit Aman and Selangor.
It led to a massive 315kg of syabu worth RM10mil being seized.
The drugs are believed to have been imported from a neighbouring country and transported from an east coast state.
Bukit Aman NCID director Comm Datuk Seri Khaw Kok Chin said a 25-year-old man was detained at the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant in Kajang Perdana at 8.38pm last Saturday.
“A check on his SUV (sports utility vehicle) found 15 Thai rice sacks, each containing 20 packages of herbal tea filled with syabu.
“We believe the suspect is a runner for the syndicate,” he told a press conference at the Kajang district police headquarters yesterday, adding that the syndicate had been operating since early this year.
Comm Khaw said the syndicate used a vehicle to store drugs instead of a storehouse or premises.
“Once they received a purchase order from customers in the Klang Valley, the runner would deliver the drugs directly to them.
“The runner was paid RM10,000 per trip.
“The suspect, from an east coast state, tested positive for methamphetamine and has a prior record for various criminal offences,” he said.
The drugs seized could have been supplied to 1.58 million people, Comm Khaw added.
“We are investigating further to uncover other members of the syndicate, including the mastermind,” he said.
He urged those with information on any drug-related activities to contact the NCID hotline at 012-208 7222.
