JOHOR BARU: Police seized RM157,964 worth of drugs and arrested five suspected syndicate members, including a 69-year-old woman and her daughter, last week.
In a raid in Taman Pelangi here, police arrested the woman, her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend.
Johor Baru (south) district police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said the trio provided information that led to the arrest of two more suspects.
"Both men were arrested on the same day, with one of them, believed to be the syndicate's mastermind, detained in a gated community within the district," Raub told a press conference at the district police headquarters here today.
He said police seized 4.9kg of syabu worth RM157,600, as well as ketamine and ganja.
They also seized RM1,385 cash, a fake gun and two cars.
The suspects, aged between 37 and 69, had 47 criminal and drug- related records. Three of them tested positive for drugs.
The syndicate, which is believed to have been operating since July, reportedly packed the drugs into small quantities for local distribution. The drugs were sold between RM120 and RM200 per packet.
Investigations are underway to identify the source of the drugs.
The syndicate's modus operandi involves using rented apartments as packaging and storage facilities before distributing the drugs to the local market.
All five suspects have been remanded until Sept 9.