BUKIT KAYU HITAM: A man's attempt to traffic 110kg of methamphetamine in a luxury multi-purpose vehicle was foiled by Customs officers following a brief high-speed chase in Pokok Sena last Wednesday.
The suspect, a local man in his 40s, was driving a rented Toyota Vellfire when he was pursued by enforcement officers at 8.30am.
The kilometre-long chase began in Taman Bandar Sejahtera and ended in Jalan Kampung Tok Kun.
The man then abandoned the vehicle, fleeing 500m into a rubber plantation before being nabbed.
State Customs Department director Nor Izah Abd Latif said the operation followed a week of intelligence surveillance.
"A check on the vehicle found four gunny sacks containing 'Chinese tea packets' filled with methamphetamine worth an estimated RM3.52 million.
"The suspect, the vehicle, and the seized drugs were taken to our Bukit Kayu Hitam office for further investigation," she told reporters today.
Nor Izah said the suspect, who lacked identification documents, was believed to be transporting the drugs from the northern region to the Klang Valley for distribution.
"It also appears the rented luxury MPV was used to mislead enforcement authorities," she added.
She said the case was being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for trafficking.
"The suspect, who has prior criminal and drug-related records, is under remand until Dec 16. The rented MPV's owner has also been summoned to assist with investigations," she added.
Nor Izah said, as of Dec 4, a total of 299 investigations have been initiated under the Customs Act 1967, while nine cases fall under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
"The total seizures this year are valued at RM20.9 million, with duties and taxes estimated at RM14 million, bringing the overall value of cases to RM35 million," she added.