KANGAR: The Malaysia-born drug kingpin arrested in Laos last month is believed to have amassed assets valued at a whopping RM190 million.
Federal police Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Kamarudin Md Din said the 41-year-old from Perak had once been detained under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Special Prevention Measures).
"For the record, we have (in the past) taken action against the suspect under the act and in fact we seized some assets belonging to him before this.
"We have stripped him of the ownership of some of his assets while some have been returned to him. If I am not mistaken, the amount was about RM19 million," he told reporters at the Perlis police headquarters.
It was reported that the wanted Malaysian man was arrested in Laos on Dec 26.
It was also reported that the Thai authorities claimed that the suspect had been using the country for money laundering and as transit points for drugs trafficking to Malaysia, Taiwan and Australia.
The Thai authorities arrested seven of their citizens and seized 998kg of methamphetamine in Ratchaburi district in last June.
Following his arrest, Thai police seized his assets comprising of a piece of land, two units of condominiums, three yachts, two cars, three motorcycles, and an assortment of cash and valuables in Bangkok, Trat, Chiang Rai and Chon Buri worth some RM11 million.
Malaysian police later confirmed that the man, who is said to have a drug trafficking pipeline in Thailand, has been blacklisted on suspicion of being the mastermind behind trafficking in the Golden Triangle surrounding the Myanmar, Laos and Thai borders since 2006.
The man has since been deported to Thailand.