JOHOR BAHRU, Jan 21 — Police have crippled a drug syndicate operating out of a budget hotel in Danga Bay here with the arrest of two men and the seizure of narcotics and assets valued at RM1.08 million.
JOHOR BAHRU, Jan 21 — Police have crippled a drug syndicate operating out of a budget hotel in Danga Bay here with the arrest of two men and the seizure of narcotics and assets valued at RM1.08 million.
Johor Bahru South police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said the syndicate had been using a budget hotel room as both a transit point and a makeshift drug-processing site before authorities carried out a pre-dawn raid last Friday.
“At about 3am, police arrested two male suspects aged 35 and 37, and seized 2.25 grammes of methamphetamine, 100 grammes of ketamine and 80 yaba pills.
“Subsequent checks at another room in the same hotel led to the discovery of 7.7884 kilogrammes of ecstasy along with various drug-processing equipment,” he told reporters at a press conference at the Johor Bahru South district police headquarters today.
Raub said police also seized a Honda Civic valued at RM80,000, bringing the total value of drugs and assets confiscated to RM1.08 million.
Initial investigations revealed that the suspects frequently moved between several budget hotels to avoid detection. The syndicate, which has been active for about two months, allegedly purchased drugs in bulk before repackaging them for retail sale at RM250 per packet.
“The drugs seized are believed to be sufficient to supply 80,184 users,” he said.
Both suspects have prior criminal and drug-related records and tested positive for methamphetamine. They have been remanded until tomorrow to assist investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
In a separate operation, Raub said police arrested a 32-year-old unemployed man during a raid at a luxury condominium in Taman Abad here last Thursday.
The suspect was detained at about 6.20pm with 10.78 kilogrammes of methamphetamine worth RM344,960. Police also seized a lorry and two motorcycles valued at RM432,960.
“We do not rule out the possibility that the suspect distributed the drugs through social media,” Raub said, adding that the man is being remanded until tomorrow to assist investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
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