KUALA LUMPUR: Police have crippled a syndicate employing the latest trend of lacing bottles of juice with drugs, after several raids across the Klang Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday netted six suspects, including the mastermind.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Crimes Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Kamaruddin Md Din, revealed that the syndicate was adulterating a type of juice with various drugs and distributing the beverage at entertainment outlets in the Klang Valley.
He said investigations revealed that the syndicate, operational since mid-2023, utilised luxury condominiums in Kajang and Cheras as their headquarters, and marketed the laced juice to entertainment outlets and private parties.
"We found that they mixed various types of drugs in juices and sold them between RM180 and RM300 per bottle depending on the size and drug content catering to the customers' demands.
"Each member of the syndicate also received about RM30,000 per month as wages for processing and distributing the drugs and made a lucrative profit from the sales," he said during a press conference at the Cheras police headquarters here today.
Mohd Kamaruddin said 54.55 litres of drug-laced juice, 1.68 kgs of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) powder, 144 gms of ketamine, 16 gms of marijuana, five kg of ecstasy powder, 550 eramin 5 pills, and 2,900 ecstasy pills estimated at RM448,850 were confiscated.
He said three luxury vehicles, cash, and jewelry estimated at RM489,408 were also seized in the raids.
Four of the individuals arrested tested positive for ketamine, and one of them had a previous drug-related criminal record, he added.
"The individuals aged 19 to 40 are being remanded for seven days until Jan 23 to facilitate the investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952," he said. -- Bernama