GEORGE TOWN: The Penang police busted two drug trafficking syndicates with the arrest of 11 individuals and seizing RM1.2 million worth of drugs in a series of raids around the state recently.
Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said in the first case, the members of the Bukit Aman and Penang Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) arrested nine individuals, including two women, aged 25 to 55, separately on March 30.
The first raid conducted on a house at 12.30 pm was preceded by the arrest of the first suspect, a man, who had 980 grams (g) of cannabis in his possession. A total of 8.55 kilogrammes (kg) of cannabis was seized from the home, before a saleswoman working in Jalan Bagan Jermal, here was arrested.
A second raid was then conducted against a hair saloon at Lebuh Pantai Sungai Pinang 1 and a male hairdresser was arrested and 153kg of cannabis hidden in the shop was seized. Two more men were consequently arrested in separate raids and another 450 g of cannabis was seized. The last series of raids led to the arrest of a mechanic, a bank teller and a woman retiree, all of whom were members of the drug trafficking ring, he said.
All in all, 163.64 kg of drugs were seized, he said, and three men and one woman tested positive for drugs, while four of the suspects possessed prior drug and criminal records, he said, adding that they have all been remanded till April 6 and will be investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Penang police arrested a man, 35, with 20 packs of syabu weighing 21.02 kilogrammes (kg) worth RM756,720 in a fishing boat at 11pm on March 28 at the beach near Tanjung Asam, Teluk Kumbar near here. A second subsequent raid at the same location at 1am on March 29 led to the arrest of a mechanic, aged 44.
A car worth RM10,000 was also seized and both men have been remanded till April 4 to facilitate investigations, Mohd Shuhaily said in a media conference here today. - Bernama