KUALA LUMPUR: Police believe they have crippled a drug distribution syndicate following the arrest of its Singaporean mastermind and the seizure of RM21.8 million worth of Eramin 5 and ecstasy pills in Taman Desa Petaling here.
Two other suspects were also detained following simultaneous raids by the federal Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) on Saturday. The syndicate was operating under the guise of a medicine store.
Federal NCID director Datuk Seri Khaw Kok Chin said in the first raid police arrested a 48-year-old local man, who acted as a runner for the syndicate, at a two-storey shophouse.
"During the raid, 209.65kg of Eramin 5 pills were seized from a room on the first floor of the shophouse.
"The location was identified as a business premises, while the shop's owner was the daughter of another suspect, who was arrested later," he said.
Khaw said another suspect, a 64-year-old Singaporean man who was allegedly the syndicate leader, was nabbed in a vehicle some 30 metres away from the location of the first raid.
"Inside the vehicle, 5.55 kg of ecstasy pills were found in the front passenger footwell. The car was registered under the name of a company owned by the suspect's girlfriend," he said at a press conference at the city police contingent headquarters here today.
Khaw said the syndicate was believed to have been active since early this year. Its modus operandi involved using the premises as a storage facility for drugs before distributing them to the domestic market, particularly in the Klang Valley.
He said that the amount of drugs seized was estimated to be sufficient for 1.1 million drug users. Khaw added that both suspects tested negative for drugs.
"Following that, action was taken under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1988 (Forfeiture of Property), where we have seized assets estimated to be worth RM59,000.
"The suspects will be remanded for six days to assist in the investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952," he said.
Khaw said the NCID will continue its investigation to track down the syndicate's remaining network members.