By Audrey Dermawan
BUTTERWORTH: Penang police have arrested three people, including a woman, and seized 19 packages of suspected syabu weighing 20 kilogrammes in three raids conducted over two days.
The drugs, disguised as "Chinese tea," are valued at RM640,000.
State police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the suspects, aged 25 to 39, are believed to be part of a drug distribution syndicate.
The group includes a mechanic, a housewife, and a trader, all friends.
In the first raid, police arrested a man and a woman in a Butterworth parking area, seizing a blue bag containing 1.036kg of syabu.
This led to the arrest of another man at a house in Bukit Mertajam and the discovery of more drugs stored in Butterworth.
Police found a box containing 12 packages labeled "Guanyingwang" tea, filled with 12.643 kilograms of suspected syabu, along with six additional packages totaling 6.321 kilograms.
"All the drugs are worth about RM640,000," he said in a statement today.
Hamzah said the syndicate sourced syabu from abroad for local distribution and has been active since early this month. He noted that the seized drugs could serve about 100,000 users.
Urine tests on the suspects were negative for drugs.
During the raids, police also seized a BMW worth RM48,000 and jewellery valued at RM17,686, bringing the total value of the seizures to RM705,686.
Hamzah added that all three suspects have previous drug and crime related records.
They are now under remand for six days until Nov 3, assisting in investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.