Bukit Aman cripples popular drug syndicate
By Ben Tan
The Malay Mail Online4 December 2017
Johor deputy police chief Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din (third left) and senior officers showing the seized drugs by Bukit Aman’s STING group during a series of raids in Johor Baru, December 4, 2017. — Malay Mail/Roslan Khamis picMore
JOHOR BARU, Dec 4 — Despite being new players in the underground drug business, they were extremely entrepreneurial and popular among drug runners, with their products reaching as far as Singapore.
The drug syndicate with links to traders in Thailand and Singapore captured a substantial part of the lucrative illicit drug trade in KL, Johor Baru and also across the Causeway, bringing in thousands of ringgit in profits within a short time.
However, their popularity was also their downfall as anti-narcotics authorities from Thailand and Singapore shared intelligence with their Malaysian counterparts that saw the syndicate’s Malaysian operations crippled last Saturday.
Johor deputy police chief Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said Bukit Aman’s Narcotics Criminal Investigations Department (NCID) launched a nationwide operation last Saturday that led to the arrests of seven suspects and seizure of illicit drugs worth more than RM900,00.
“Bukit Aman deployed the Special Tactical Intelligence Narcotics Grouo (STING) operatives in simultaneous raids in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru at 8.30pm.
“The raids saw the arrests of five local male and two female suspects, aged between 26 and 52, who we believe were instrumental in distributing the drugs,” he said at the Johor police contingent headquarters today.
From the seizures in several locations at Taman Mount Austin and Bandar Datuk Onn here, the syndicate is believed to be focused in mainly synthetic drugs as its members were arrested in possession of 8.2kg of crystal methamphetamine (syabu), 1.5kg of heroin, 605g of ketamine, 2,205 psychotropic pills, 1,101 Erimin 5 pills and a 3,950 pills of ecstasy.
Operatives also seized cash of RM144,755, jewellery worth RM40,77.14 and seven luxury-type vehicles worth RM730,000.
Malay Mail learnt that the local-based syndicate had links with the drug barons in Thailand where ready drugs were shipped to them and later distributed.
The syndicate had not manufactured the synthetic drugs locally, based on the seized drugs markings and also content.
But their rise in the regional scene caught the attention of the Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau and Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau.
Mohd Kamarudin said It was still too early to gauge the syndicate’s distribution network reach and how long the syndicate had operated.
“Initial investigations revealed that the syndicate only stores and distributes the illicit drugs and do not have any laboratory that manufactures.
“The syndicate is fairly new and its distribution reach was believed to be local, as well as Singapore,” he said, adding that police were still investigating the case.
It was believed that the syndicate targets major cities from the central to southern region of the country with KL, Petaling Jaya, Johor Baru and also the very lucrative Singapore markets.
The drugs will be sold to agents that would later sell them themselves or pass them on to runners popularly known as “tokan” to be sold at entertainment outlets and private parties.
Mohd Kamarudin said all the suspects have been remanded to facilitate investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
