GEORGE TOWN: Penang police scored a major win in their fight against drugs with the arrest of five people — including four Myanmar nationals — and the seizure of drugs worth more than RM1.2 million in two separate raids, recently.
State police chief Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan said th Penang police crippled a Myanmar-run drug syndicate with the arrest of four of its nationals, including its mastermind, who is also the sole woman nabbed.
Police also seized drugs worth more than RM810,831 from them, which included 2,980g heroin base, 8,493g syabu and 14,000 WY pills.
The Myanmar-run drug syndicate was one of two drug syndicates foiled by state police in two separate raids on Friday and Saturday.
The second syndicate, masterminded by a local 29-year-old, saw police seized 4,533g of MDMA-laced drinks, 20 Ecstacy pills and 90 Erimin 5 pills worth RM465,500.
State police chief Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan said both syndicates were not linked but served the same local market since the beginning of this year.
"Altogether, police seized an assortment of drugs worth RM1.27 million from both raids, cash totalling RM87,180, two cars worth RM39,000 and about RM1,000 worth of jewellery.
"The five people from both raids have been remanded until June 12 to assist investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952.
"The drugs would have been sold to some 129,500 addicts," he told newsmen at the state police headquarters here today.
Present were State Narcotics Department chief Assistant Commissioner Maidu Abu Bakar and Seberang Prai Selatan district police chief Seberang Prai Tengah district police chief Assistant Commissioner Shafee Abd Samad.
Elaborating on the Myanmar-run drug syndicate, Sahabudin said police had between 6.45pm last Friday and 8am last Saturday, tailed a car driven by one of the Myanmar men.
The man was then stopped for inspection, at Jalan Baru in the Seberang Prai Tengah district and police found drugs inside the car.
"The suspect then led the police to a rented house in the same district where the other two men were nabbed with the majority amount of drugs. The trio, aged between 24 and 40, had day jobs as wiremen.
"They then led us to a 45-year-old woman, believed to be the mastermind of the syndicate, who runs a sundry shop in Bayan Baru in the southwest district," Sahabudin said.
All the Myanmar nationals had entered the country legally, he added.
On the second syndicate, masterminded by a local man, Sahabudin said police had launched a raid between 7pm last Friday and 4am last Saturday in Bukit Tengah, also in the Seberang Prai Tengah district.
There they nabbed the man and seized the assortment of drugs from him.