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SABAH police have dealt a significant blow to a suspected international drug trafficking syndicate after confiscating more than 329 kilogrammes of syabu valued at almost RM18 million in two major operations believed to have disrupted a cross-border network using the state as a transit point for international drug shipments.
The coordinated operations, conducted in Tawau and Semporna on July 12 and 13, resulted in the seizure of 329.236kg of syabu and the arrest of six suspects, while another alleged syndicate member remains at large.
Investigators believe the narcotics entered Sabah via Jalan Merapok in Sipitang before being prepared for export overseas, reinforcing concerns that the state continues to be exploited as a strategic transit corridor by international drug syndicates.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun said the scale of the seizures indicated the involvement of a highly organised trafficking network operating across borders.
"We believe all the drugs seized were being prepared for shipment overseas," he told a press conference at the Semporna district police headquarters on Monday.
The first operation, carried out on July 12, saw police intercept a vehicle in Tawau, where officers discovered four bags containing 74.886kg of syabu with an estimated street value of about RM3 million.
Four suspects — two men and two women aged between 24 and 40 — were arrested. Two are Malaysian citizens, while the remaining two are foreign nationals.
Urine screening conducted on all four suspects returned negative results for drug consumption.
Police estimated the quantity seized in the first raid was sufficient to produce approximately 213,960 single doses.
A day later, officers mounted a second operation at an oil palm plantation in Semporna, where they uncovered a further 254.35kg of syabu concealed inside 24 black travel bags stored in a van.
Two more suspects were arrested during the raid, while another individual believed to be connected to the operation escaped and remains the subject of an ongoing manhunt.
The second seizure alone was estimated to be capable of supplying around 726,714 single doses.
Jauteh said preliminary investigations suggested the latest drug consignment had entered Sabah through Jalan Merapok in Sipitang before being transported to the east coast.
Police also believe the drugs originated from the Golden Triangle, the notorious narcotics-producing region spanning parts of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.
He said police were intensifying intelligence operations and strengthening cooperation with other enforcement agencies to seal vulnerabilities along known smuggling routes into Sabah.
"We cannot deny that there are gaps in certain areas, but with the experience gained from Ops Bayu 1 to Ops Bayu 12, we will do our utmost to prevent drugs from entering Sabah," he said.
Jauteh revealed that the Sabah Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department had carried out 12 operations under the Ops Bayu series between January and July 30 this year, underscoring the force's sustained campaign against organised drug trafficking.
During that period, police seized nearly four tonnes of illicit drugs throughout the state.
He added that suspects linked to Ops Bayu 1 through Ops Bayu 9 have either been charged in court or subjected to preventive measures where prosecution could not proceed.
Investigations into Ops Bayu 10, Ops Bayu 11 and the latest Ops Bayu 12 are ongoing. - August 3, 2026
