Second biggest RM500,000 syabu bust
Published on: Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah narcotics police made yet another notable achievement with the seizure of 7,280gm syabu worth RM500,000 here, Sunday. This was the second biggest drug bust recorded by State police this year after the first involving 10.3kg of syabu worth RM1 million in January. The latest bust also saw the arrest of three local men, aged between 27 and 39, as well as a 30-year-old Filipino, in two separate locations in the city.
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Police could not explain how the drugs could have gone through airport checkpoint without being detected, but said they will identify the weaknesses and advise their counterparts in the peninsula. State Police Commissioner Datuk Ramli Din in media conference said the first arrest was made at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport arrival hall at about 10.15am. Inspections were conducted on two locals, aged 27 and 30, leading to the discovery of seven packets containing the drugs inside their backpacks. The Sabahan duo had just arrived on a flight from Johor when they were stopped for inspection by the narcotics team.
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The older man not only tested positive for drugs but was also found convicted for three drug offences previously. Both men confessed to being linked to a local syndicate who instructed them to collect and deliver the drugs to certain locations.
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Further questioning led the team to detain two more men, a 30-year-old Filipino and a 39-year-old local in the city area three hours later, believed to be linked to the first two. The team also seized a Perodua Viva, Ford Ranger, Yamaha 125Z motorcycle and a Rado brand wrist watch. Police are now looking for a local man in his 30s known as Sandi to facilitate investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for trafficking in dangerous drugs. Initial findings showed that they have been active since early this year. They will head to Johor on a flight from Sabah to collect the drugs before returning to the State with the drugs. On another note, he said Sabah police has gone all out to combat drug issues in the State. "We know that there is a high correlation between drugs and crime, so inevitably to reduce street crimes, we have and need to be aggressive in fighting drug problems in Sabah. "For that, the State police have recorded high arrests and seizures this year compared to previous years," he said. For Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries mandatory death on conviction, a total of 52 cases up to Aug 14, were recorded last year, compared to 92 cases over the same period this year. A total of 86 arrests were also recorded over the same period last year compared to the 166 arrests recorded this year to date. For Section 39A(2) of the same Act which carries imprisonment for life on conviction, a total of 19 cases and 42 arrests were recorded last year compared to the 39 cases and 48 arrests this year. The same goes for Section 39A(1) of the same Act which recorded 255 cases and 366 arrests last year compared to the 476 cases and 666 arrests recorded thus far this year. As for the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985, a total of 22 arrests were recorded in 2015 compared to the 24 arrests recorded throughout last year. The figure increased to 52 arrests so far this year. For Section 39C of the same Act, they made 129 arrests so far this year compared to the 86 arrests last year. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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