TAWAU: Police have dismantled a major international drug syndicate linking Port Klang with Sabah and Sarawak to penetrate the foreign market, following the seizure of 323.91kg of methamphetamine and 0.98 litres of fentanyl, with an estimated value of almost RM19 million, during Op Hymenoptera conducted here on April 21 and May 1.
The syndicate’s modus operandi involved hiding drugs within the compartments of second-hand vehicles before shipping them from Klang to Sabah.
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Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) Director, Police Commissioner Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, said this was the first time police discovered such ruse by a drug syndicate.
“The syndicate brought in second-hand cars from Port Klang to Sepanggar Bay Container Port by sea before heading to Tawau by land, making it appear as if they intended to resell them,” he told a press conference at the police headquarters, here, Thursday.
He added that NCID conducted the operation based on intelligence information and integrated enforcement to combat and cripple the syndicate without compromise.
Hussein Omar said in the first raid at Batu 15, Jalan Apas, the police seized 128 transparent plastic packets suspected to contain methamphetamine, weighing approximately 130.60kg, and a Toyota Harrier vehicle.
He said two local men aged 36 and 52 were also arrested in the raid, with the first suspect believed to be the “transporter” and testing positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine, while the second suspect is a syndicate member.
He said following the arrest, a second raid was conducted on two vehicles, a Nissan Sylphy and a Toyota Camry, in Bandar Sri Indah, Batu 10, and that it is believed that the syndicate has been active since the beginning of this year.
“In the Nissan vehicle, the police found methamphetamine weighing 90.41kg and a liquid suspected to be fentanyl weighing 0.98 litres, while in the Toyota Camry, 99 transparent plastic packets suspected to contain methamphetamine weighing 102.90kg were found,” he said.
Hussein Omar said the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, and if convicted, the offender can be sentenced to death by hanging or life imprisonment and caning of not less than 12 strokes.
He said the suspects were charged in court on Wednesday (May 6), and both defendants have records of drug offences and past criminal activities, and that action was also taken under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (Forfeiture of Property) 1988, with a total seizure amounting to RM34,000.
Hussein Omar said Tawau has become a transit hub for smuggling prohibited substances, not only for local use but also for sale or distribution to other countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia.
“The police believe that the drugs came from the Golden Triangle or the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, passing through the Klang Valley and smuggled into Sabah and Sarawak for use here and in neighbouring countries,” he said, adding that the mastermind of the syndicate had fled the country, while syndicate members had been arrested.
