
Interpol crackdown on illicit pharmaceuticals worth US$1.5m in Malaysia
One of the world's largest crackdowns on online sales of illicit pharmaceuticals has just wrapped up. Operation Pangea, a six-month Interpol-led effort that began in December, covered 90 countries. CNA was granted exclusive access to the raids in Malaysia. Pamella Lim with this report.
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CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Cocaine vape seizure: 3 Singaporeans among 4 charged with drug trafficking, face death penalty in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Three Singaporeans are among four men who face the death penalty for drug trafficking in Malaysia. The trio – Quek Kien Seng, 45, Tristan Chew Jin Zhong, 25 and Ivan Tan Zhi Xuan, 31 – were charged on Thursday morning (Jun 26) along with Malaysian Kong Sien Mee, 51, at the magistrates' court in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. The men nodded as the charges were read, news outlet The New Straits Times reported. No plea was recorded from them as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court. The four are accused of trafficking 9.42 litres of liquid cocaine, which were stored in 4,958 vape pods that were seized by the police. The Royal Malaysian Police Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department estimated the drugs to be worth RM7.29 million (US$1.71 million). The men were arrested at 11.45am last Thursday (Jun 19) at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur in two separate raids by the Kuala Lumpur police. The men were charged under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. If convicted, they face the death penalty or life imprisonment. If they avoid the death penalty, they face a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane. Defence lawyer Ille Maryam Yusnawannie appeared for Quek, Chew and Tan. The Malaysian, Kong, did not have a legal representative, according to news outlet New Straits Times. Their next hearing is on Sep 8. In making the arrest, Malaysian authorities had said the suspected syndicate had rented luxury condominiums around Kuala Lumpur as packing facilities for the vape cartridges and narcotics before they were distributed to the international market.


CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Malaysia unveils ‘drastic measure' to name, shame transport firms with many unsettled traffic offences
KUALA LUMPUR: Transport service providers with high numbers of outstanding traffic offences, including a firm with over 22,000 unsettled summonses, have been named and shamed as part of a clampdown on offenders amid a surge in fatal road accidents, according to Malaysia's transport minister. 'This is a drastic measure we are taking after several deadly road crashes and after the public asks us what we and the Road Transport Department plan to do to address the problem,' Anthony Loke was quoted as saying by local news outlet Malay Mail. Loke's announcement on Wednesday (Jun 25) comes two weeks after he announced plans to build a database of bus drivers to weed out errant ones, following a fatal bus crash in Perak which killed 15 university students earlier this month. On Wednesday, the Transport Ministry revealed a list of 28 commercial vehicle operators with a high number of outstanding traffic summonses, warning them to settle their dues promptly. The list, which is divided into two categories, comprised 11 goods vehicle operators and 17 express bus companies, reported local news agency Bernama. Speaking at a press conference, Loke added that the list of names will be released from time to time as a stern warning to keep bus and logistic operators in line. 'This is a warning for them to change their corporate culture (to) a culture of ensuring vehicle safety and for every driver to comply with safety standards,' he said, as quoted by Bernama. Loke said summonses involved offences under the Road Transport Act 1987, the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board Act 1987 and the Land Public Transport Act 2010. The five main offences were speeding, driving without a licence, technical violations, overloading and driving without a motor vehicle licence or insurance, he added. Topping the offenders list under the goods vehicles operators category revealed on Wednesday was KDEB Waste Management, which is the project management company hired by the Selangor state government to collect waste. According to the Transport Ministry, the firm has over 22,000 outstanding traffic summonses for various offences. Meanwhile, for the list of commercial bus operators, Cepat Express Sdn Bhd had the highest number of outstanding traffic summonses at 540. Cepat Express services mostly southern and central-eastern routes, according to Malay Mail. The 28 companies listed will have 14 days from Wednesday to settle summonses at the current rate, Loke said on Wednesday. 'I don't want the public to say the RTD only acts after an accident happens. This will be our approach now, which is to take preemptive measures so these companies will implement necessary preventive steps before a tragedy happens,' Loke said, as quoted by Malay Mail. 'This is what we want to achieve with this measure, even though it's drastic, because the people want to see a change in culture. We don't want another tragedy that ends up killing so many lives.' 'DRIVERS USUALLY HIDE THEM': LOCAL FIRM WITH 22,017 SUMMONSES KDEB Waste Management, the firm identified with the most number of summonses under the logistics category, has denied responsibility for more than 22,017 active summonses for vehicles it owns. A spokesperson from KDEB said the firm owns around 1,400 lorries registered under its name but these vehicles are operated by subcontractors managing solid waste collection across Selangor. 'When these operators receive summonses, the drivers usually hide them and don't pass them to the contractors or to us. In other words, KDEB has no knowledge of it,' KDEB's managing director Ramli Tahir told local news outlet Free Malaysia Today (FMT). 'When a summons remains unpaid for three months, (then) the road transport department will issue the summons to the registered address and it ends up at our office in Shah Alam,' Ramli added. The managing director said KDEB has paid more than 12,000 summonses issued to vehicles driven by the staff of subcontractors for various offences. 'It's just the remaining 22,000 summonses that we're in the process of settling now because we received them late. The operator or the driver did not hand them over to KDEB. It is possible they were hidden or discarded,' Ramli said, as quoted by FMT. He added that KDEB would deduct the summons payment from the monthly payments made to the relevant subcontractors. The firm also reaffirmed its full commitment to strengthening internal monitoring systems, improving communication with subcontractors and ensuring consistent and principled compliance with road laws 'in the interest of the people and the nation', reported the New Straits Times. Earlier this month, 15 students from Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) were killed when the bus transporting them lost control after colliding with a multi-purpose vehicle on the East-West Highway near Gerik town in Perak. The bus accident which dominated headlines happened barely a month after another crash involving a truck loaded with gravel which killed nine members of the Federal Reserve Unit also in Perak. These tragedies have sparked calls for deep reforms in road safety. Loke on Wednesday said naming and shaming errant transport firms will be only one of the actions to come as he pledged to reduce road accidents involving commercial enterprises. The minister also encouraged the public to take videos of lorries or buses driving dangerously or speeding and post them online to raise awareness and assist enforcement efforts, reported the New Straits Times. 'Even if a report is not lodged with RTD, making it viral is sufficient … such videos will eventually reach us and we will act based on credible information,' he was quoted as saying. Loke advised that videos of errant drivers should include visible number plates, company names, the location, and the time and date of the incident. "Once we receive that (video), the JPJ (Road Transport Department) and the Land Public Transport Agency will investigate. We will ask the company to provide the GPS of their vehicle and verify their location,' he said, as quoted by The Star. Earlier on Jun 11, Loke announced that a database of bus drivers would enable those with 'previous records' to be blacklisted, which he said would help bus operators avoid hiring errant drivers who might have been sacked from another company for poor driving.


CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Jail for man who drove two others around Singapore to commit credit card fraud
SINGAPORE: A man roped into a scheme to buy and resell iPhones using stolen credit card details was jailed for 23 months on Thursday (Jun 26). Tang Chin Huat, 27, was asked by his childhood friend, Ding Jiun Hao, to participate in the plan with both agreeing to split their profits. The person who allegedly proposed the scheme to Ding, Liau Wei Zheng, is at large and believed to be in Malaysia. Ding's case is before the courts. Tang pleaded guilty to two out of nine charges of cheating, and one count of removing criminal properties from Singapore. The remaining charges of cheating were taken into consideration for his sentencing. In November 2024, Liau asked Ding if he wanted to earn extra money. Liau said that a person would hand him credit cards and they would buy "as many iPhones as possible in Singapore" with the cards to resell in Malaysia for a profit. The credit cards belonged to people who did not know that their credit card details had been stolen. Liau was promised a profit of RM500 (S$151) for each phone sold, and he offered to share the profits with Ding. Ding, who did not have a car, then suggested bringing Tang into the scheme. Tang, a Malaysian, worked as a driver ferrying customers between Malaysia and Singapore. Tang agreed to participate in exchange for 25 per cent of the profit. On Nov 8, 2024, Tang drove Liau and Ding from Malaysia to visit four mobile phone stores in Singapore. Before buying the phones, Liau would call an unknown person to ask for credit card details, which would be stored in an e-wallet. Liau then paid for the iPhones by scanning his phone on the respective stores' payment terminal using the victims' credit cards. Ding then collected the receipts and kept the mobile phones in his bag. Meanwhile, Tang waited in the car. A total of eight cardholders had their credit card details misused. That day, the trio bought a total of 23 phones worth S$45,291.20 (US$35,504) from the four stores. The staff from one of the stores found the large purchase suspicious and requested a passport verification from Liau before handing over five of those phones. Liau and Ding left without them. Hence they had a total of 18 iPhone 16 Pro Max models, valued at S$39,751.20. At around 8pm, the trio entered Malaysia. The next day, Liau sold the mobile phones in Malaysia, and met Ding and Tang at his condominium. Tang and Ding each received RM2,250 from Liau for their roles in the scheme. Ding was arrested when he entered Singapore on Nov 10 to ferry passengers in Singapore. Tang found out that he was wanted by the Singapore police from newspapers and entered Singapore on Nov 24 to surrender himself. He was arrested and has since made restitution of S$2,000. The prosecution sought 23 to 25 months for Tang, describing the offence as transnational and syndicated. "The offending was sophisticated due to the use of technology to reduce detection risk. The victims' stolen credit card details were sent via phone by unknown persons and then stored in the main accused Liau's phone electronic wallet for payment.