GEORGE TOWN: Police crippled a major drug and firearms distribution ring, seizing drugs with a street value of RM2.8 million last Thursday.
In eight separate raids at Johor and Penang, police also seized various firearms as well as arrested 17 people, including five foreigners.
Federal police Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said the two-state narcotics team, aided by the Special Tactical Intelligence Narcotics Group swooped on unidentified locations in the two states on two separate days.
“Four of the raids Air Itam, Paya Terubong, Batu Uban, and Telok Ayer Tawar while the other four raid was in Johor Baru, Nusajaya and Simpang Renggam.
“Of the 17 people arrested, 12 were locals, and the rest was a Vietnamese woman, a Singaporean man, and a Thai man, aged between 27 and 64 years old.
“They have been remanded until Thursday and will be investigated under Section 39(B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for distributing of drugs, which carries a mandatory death sentence if convicted,” he told reporters at the police headquarters here today.
Among the drugs seized were 33,200 pills of Ermin 5, 4,000 ecstasy pills, 9.2kg heroin, 8.5kg heroin base, 6.4kg syabu, 120g of Yabba pill, 105g ketamine, and 17g of marijuana.
They also seized six various pistols, which includes CZ 75, Beretta, Steyr, and Taurus Brazil, one, HK 33 rifle, and 331 bullets.
Police also seized items worth RM600,000, including Malaysian, Thai and Singaporean currencies, seven cars and jewellery.