TAWAU: An attempt by a foreigner trying to transport over two kilograms of syabu worth RM74,500 into a neighbouring country was thwarted when he was arrested along Jalan Pelabuhan at 9.30 am on July 25.
Preliminary police investigations revealed that the 22-year-old suspect was allegedly paid nearly RM4,000 by a drug syndicate from the neighbouring country to smuggle the drug across the border.
Tawau District Police Chief ACP Jasmin Hussin said the suspect was arrested after he was found carrying two transparent plastic packets, believed to contain syabu, inside a backpack.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});“The suspect did not possess any travel documents and is believed to have entered Malaysia illegally through a rat trail on July 21,” he said.
Jasmin added that the suspect had initially been waiting for the right time to exit via the Tawau Public Jetty near the former Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex.
However, police intelligence and public tip-offs led to his detection.
The suspect was unemployed and had entered the country for the first time solely to collect and deliver the drug to a drug syndicate in his country.
“The suspect was remanded for seven days. Initial urine tests found to be drug-negative,” he said.
Jasmin said the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, with police also focusing efforts on identifying the source and network of the syndicate involved.
He said that Tawau police remain committed to aggressively combating drug trafficking, especially to ensure legal action is taken against those involved.
“So far this year alone, we have recorded over 30 kilograms of drug seizures. Since I began my duty in Tawau in March 2022, more than 100 kilograms of drugs have been confiscated,” he said.
He described these achievements as a benchmark of police commitment to protecting the community from drug activities through the arrest of suspects and large-scale seizures.
