Selangor police bust syndicate selling drug-laced vape liquid
SHAH ALAM: Selangor police have dismantled a syndicate selling drug-laced vape liquid worth more than RM5 million after raids in Klang Utara and Sungai Buloh on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Twelve individuals were arrested, including two local men and 10 foreigners — four of them women — aged between 21 and 38.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said this marked the biggest success of the year for the state police in combating drug abuse involving electronic cigarettes.
The first raid took place around 8pm on Tuesday at a vape shop in Klang Utara.
"During the raid, police seized 663 cartridges containing vape liquid suspected to contain methamphetamine, with an estimated total volume of 1,260ml.
"A 21-year-old local man, who was the shop assistant, was arrested. Background checks showed he had no criminal record and his initial urine test came back negative.
"The seized vape liquid is estimated to be worth RM199,000 and believed to be intended for distribution around the Klang Valley," he said at a press conference at the Selangor police headquarters today.
Following the first raid, Hussein said another operation was launched at 12.30am on Wednesday at a factory in Sungai Buloh, which was used to package the vape liquid.
There, police detained 11 individuals — one local man and 10 foreigners including the four women aged between 21 and 38 — and seized 4,600 pods along with 158 plastic drums filled with vape liquid suspected to contain amphetamine (864,600ml) and ketamine (650,000ml).
"Preliminary investigations revealed that the local man acted as the business manager while the foreigners were involved in packaging the drug-laced vape liquid.
"Checks showed none of the suspects had any prior criminal record. The total value of vape liquid seized in the second raid is estimated at RM4.91 million, believed to be intended for distribution in the Klang Valley and neighbouring countries," he said.
Hussein said the packaging factory had been operating for the past six months and is believed to be funded by a foreign man who is being sought by the police.
"The individual is believed to have entered the country and taught the local suspect (the business manager) how to process the drug-laced vape liquid.
"We are also investigating whether this case is linked to a Taiwanese syndicate recently busted by Bukit Aman's Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID)," he said.
Meanwhile, Hussein said checks showed that the vape shop involved in the first raid had been operating for the past four years.
The premises owner is believed to be overseas and will be called in to assist in investigations.
All 12 suspects had been remanded for between five and seven days. s
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