KUALA LUMPUR: It looked like a scene from a Hollywood film, when a group of people climbed onto the roof of a four-storey flat in Jinjang Baru this morning.
The individuals, believed to be drug addicts, were attempting to escape a police raid, which took place at two units around 5am.
Personnel from the City narcotics crime investigation department (NCID) together with officers from the Sentul district NCID and the Fire and Rescue Department, carried out the anti-drug operation following months of intelligence-gathering and surveillance.
The authorities were forced to break open and dismantle the grills using electric cutters to gain entry into the units.
That was when the 19 suspects, including one woman, tried to escape via the roof.
City acting police chief Datuk Yahaya Othman said the raid was conducted following complaints of drug dealing activities at the flat.
He said a total of 27 people, aged between 23 and 44, were arrested in the five-hour operation which ended at 10am.
"Police had to rope in the fire department's help to provide three turntable ladders to enable police personnel to reach the suspects hiding on the roof.
"Firemen also helped with cutting the grill during the operation," he said.
Yahaya said the raid on the two flat units were done simultaneously to prevent any escape.
"In the raid, police also found 59.44grams of methamphetamine and drug-related paraphernalia. Apart from the two units, police also combed the rest of the flat area for drug addicts and arrested eight," he said.
He said those arrested were being investigated under Section 3(1) of the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985 for suspected involvement in drug trafficking activities, Section 39B , Section 39A(1), Section 12 (2) and under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952.
"All those arrested, who also had criminal records for drug related offence, were brought back to the police headquarters for further investigation", Yahaya said.
Apart from the drugs, also seized were two Perodua Myvi, a Yamaha Y15 motorcycle and cash.
All the suspects tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine use.
"They will be presented in court for a remand order tomorrow. With this, we believe we have crippled a drug distribution syndicate operating in Sentul.
"Investigations are still ongoing to determine the sort of the drugs as well as to identify the rest of the syndicate members," Yahaya said.