Johor police arrest eight men, including a teenager, and seize RM3.04 million worth of methamphetamine in a July 18 operation, crippling a drug trafficking syndicate.
JOHOR BAHRU: Police crippled a drug trafficking syndicate following the arrest of eight men, including a teenager, and the seizure of methamphetamine worth RM3.04 million in an operation here on July 18.
Johor police chief CP Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the suspects, aged between 16 and 78, included seven local men and a foreigner.
He said they were arrested by a team from the Narcotics Crime Investigation Division of the Johor Bahru Selatan District Police Headquarters at about 9 pm.
He added that the first raid took place in a car park in front of a hotel, where police arrested four local men, including the 16-year-old, and the foreign suspect.
AB Rahaman said further inspection of a Perodua Bezza parked at the scene uncovered 50 plastic packets containing 60.78 kilogrammes of methamphetamine.
“Among the four suspects arrested were those acting as runners, transporters, and right-hand men managing the syndicate’s operations.
“The teenager, who acted as a transporter, was identified as neglected by his family and dropped out of school since last January,” he told a press conference at the Johor Contingent Police Headquarters today.
He said three other local men, including the syndicate leader in his 50s, were arrested inside the hotel. No drugs were found with them.
Ab Rahaman said the syndicate has been active since May, using vehicles as mobile storage for drugs intended for the local market.
Urine tests on all suspects showed that three tested positive for methamphetamine.
“Meanwhile, background checks showed that four of the suspects have prior criminal records,” he said.
He added that all suspects have been remanded for seven days starting July 19, and the case is being investigated under Section 39 billion of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
