Perlis police arrest five syndicate members and seize 510kg of methamphetamine worth RM25.5 million in three raids near the Thai border.
KANGAR: Police have crippled a major drug trafficking syndicate with the arrest of five individuals and the seizure of 510 kilogrammes of methamphetamine valued at approximately RM25.5 million.
The arrests were made in three separate raids conducted in Wang Kelian and Kaki Bukit near Padang Besar between March 24 and March 28.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the suspects, comprising four men and one woman aged 23 to 37, include a married couple.
He stated that all are believed to be members of a syndicate active for several years.
The first raid on March 24 led to the arrest of the couple and a male suspect from two cars on the main road in Wang Kelian.
“Inspection of one car revealed 20 sacks containing 500 plastic packets of substances believed to be methamphetamine,” Hussein said at a press conference here.
He added that police were forced to fire shots at one vehicle as the driver’s actions threatened officers and risked casualties.
The initial arrests subsequently led to the capture of two more male suspects in follow-up operations on March 27 and 28.
Urine tests found four male suspects positive for methamphetamine, and all five have prior drug-related criminal records.
They have been remanded for five to seven days and are being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries a mandatory death penalty.
Police are also taking action under the Dangerous Drugs (Forfeiture of Property) Act 1988, seizing assets worth RM566,200 including six vehicles and eight motorcycles.
Hussein described the syndicate as a known group under police surveillance, suspected of smuggling drugs via forested border routes in Wang Kelian using human couriers.
“The drugs are brought to a transit point near the main road before being collected and sent to other locations,” he said.
He believes the supply was destined for the local Perlis market, the Klang Valley, and the southern region of Peninsular Malaysia.
The seized drugs could have supplied up to 2.55 million users if they had reached the market.
Hussein confirmed that the syndicate’s leader, a local man in his 40s, is believed to have fled to Thailand.
Police will seek assistance from Thai authorities to track him down.
