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KUALA LUMPUR – Police today said they busted a syndicate trafficking methamphetamines to neighbouring countries after seizing nearly 290kg of the drug worth RM10.3 million last week.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigations Department director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said police also detained four men in separate operations in Selangor and Johor.
The supply of methamphetamines, locally known as ice or syabu, was found stashed in two houses where police also picked up two of the suspects on Thursday, he said.
“One of the male suspects, who is 25 years old, works as a swimming coach, while the other is unemployed,” Ayob told a news conference at the Bukit Aman police headquarters.
Ayob said the arrests led investigators to Johor Baru, where they picked up the remaining two suspects, both 26, who were allegedly responsible for shipping out the methamphetamines to neighbouring countries.
He said police believe the drugs were smuggled into the country from the northern states and brought to the south before being shipped off to neighbouring countries, usually into Indonesia.
“This is because the value of one kilogramme of ice in Malaysia is worth around RM36,000, but the same amount in Indonesia is worth upwards of RM100,000,” Ayob said.
Police also seized vehicles and cash worth about RM200,000 during the raids, and are working on finding any remaining syndicate members, he said.
Meanwhile, Ayob said police will comply with whatever amendments to local laws to allow cultivation of hemp and ketum for medicinal purposes, as announced recently by the federal cabinet.
However, he cautioned that such measures may pave the way for an increase in the number of drug addicts in the country, with 36,000 addicts already registered for rehabilitation under the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) costing the government RM500 million a year.
“Up to this point there has been no rehabilitative programme under AADK that caters to ketum addiction, so would such cases be outsourced to the private sector, and if so, who is going to pay for it?” he said. – The Vibes, April 25, 2022