Army officer believed to be drug ring mastermind arrested, says MACC
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the discovery followed a raid conducted jointly with the police's Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) on Wednesday (Aug 13) where a large quantity of drugs was seized.
He said that the army officer not only leaked information to criminals but was also directly involved in smuggling.
He told this to reporters at the MACC Chief Commissioners' Roundtable Conference 2025, here on Thursday (Aug 14).
It was reported that 10 individuals, including three army officers and two former senior army officers aged from 30 to 55 and an Indonesian citizen were arrested in the Klang Valley.
The raid, which followed a year-long investigation, led to the seizure of more than RM63,000 in cash, packages of drugs, weighing and measuring equipment, liquor and imitation weapons.
Meanwhile, Bukit Aman NCID director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that four individuals were arrested on suspicion of being involved in a drug smuggling syndicate.
The suspects included a military officer believed to be the mastermind, a local man and two foreign women.
The seizures comprised 70 packets of Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) powder weighing 1.1kg, cannabis (92g), ketamine (22g), liquid MDMA (64g) and ecstasy (0.6g), all weighing a total of 1.3kg and worth RM30,000, he said. – Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
36 minutes ago
- The Star
MACC: Drug ring led by army officer
General orders: 10 individuals, including five senior armed forces officers, being escorted to the Putrajaya Magistrate's Court. Senior officer is believed to have been directly involved in smuggling activities KUALA LUMPUR: An army officer arrested on suspicion of involvement in a smuggling syndicate is believed to also be the mastermind of a drug trafficking operation, says Tan Sri Azam Baki. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner said the discovery followed a raid conducted with the police's Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID), during which a large quantity of drugs was seized. He said the army officer was believed to have not only leaked important information to criminals, but was also directly involved in smuggling activities. Azam said the MACC will seek additional information from the Defence Ministry to complete its investigation into the three serving and two former senior military officers allegedly linked to the syndicate. 'The information, including reports classified as confidential, will aid our investigations into activities believed to be occurring mainly in the waters of the Strait of Malacca off Melaka and Johor. 'I would like to thank the Chief of Defence Force for supporting the MACC and facilitating our investigation,' he told reporters during the MACC Chief Commissioners' Roundtable Conference, Bernama reported. Bukit Aman NCID director Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that four individuals were arrested on suspicion of being involved in a drug smuggling syndicate during the raid. At another event, Armed Forces Chief General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar said they are ready to hand over sensitive documents to the MACC to facilitate the probe. 'There is absolutely no issue (in sharing documents with the MACC). The main thing is to determine whether the allegations are true or not. If they are indeed true, we will take appropriate action,' he told reporters. Mohd Nizam gave assurances that there was no operational compromise after the officers had their duties taken over. Meanwhile, 10 individuals, including five senior Armed Forces officers were remanded yesterday. Also remanded were two online portal journalists, a company manager, an administrative assistant at the Malaysian Medical Association and a foreign woman. Four suspects were remanded until Aug 20, three until Aug 18 while another three will be detained until today. The remand orders were issued by magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin after the MACC filed the application at the Putrajaya Magistrate's Court. On Wednesday, the MACC revealed that a smuggling ring allegedly involving banned items such as drugs, cigarettes and other contraband was uncovered following the arrest of 10 people, including five senior military officers in a special operation codenamed Ops Sohor. The syndicate, believed to have been operating for the past five years, allegedly involved senior officers from the military's intelligence unit as well as two former members from the same division. The smuggling activities were estimated to be worth around RM5mil a month. The officers are alleged to have amassed more than RM3mil in illicit gains over the five years.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Scam victims face trauma of losses
This visual is human-created, AI-aided. M'sians whose money vanished also have sleepless nights and trust issues PETALING JAYA: At 5am on April 1, 2023, Lawrence was jolted awake by a call from an unknown number. The voice on the line claimed to be from the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN), alleging there were irregularities in his taxes. Within minutes, the officer's tone hardened, telling him that unless he could prove his innocence, police would be sent and legal action taken. A few days earlier, Lawrence's sister had transferred a large sum to his account for a life insurance payment. Strangely, the caller seemed to know about this transaction. Shaken and afraid, the young professional – who was then less than a year into his first job – complied when asked to provide his online banking user ID and password. Moments later, the balance in his account was 'transferred out for investigation purposes'. The call was then passed to a man claiming to be a police officer, who sent over a photo ID. The image, Lawrence later discovered through a reverse search, was lifted from an old news report and bore no connection to the name given. Over eight hours, the line shuffled between supposed LHDN staff and police personnel, each reinforcing the elaborate fiction. When the realisation hit, Lawrence lodged a police report. Two weeks later, he was interviewed by an investigating officer, but he has heard nothing since. For Nisa (identity withheld for privacy), the trap came wrapped in opportunity. Two years ago, the administrative assistant saw messages on WhatsApp promising 'easy money' by liking and sharing YouTube videos. The senders claimed to represent a legitimate-sounding company, and small payments did land in her account after she completed tasks. Soon, the offer escalated: a group investment scheme in a Telegram chat, filled with glowing success stories. At first, small investments brought small returns. Then came the pressure – warnings that her earlier gains would vanish unless she invested more. By the time she realised she had lost RM14,000, the so-called 'investment guru' was still urging her to send more to recover her funds. A visit to the company's listed address revealed an empty office. Like Lawrence, she lodged a police report, only to be told little could be done. They are just two of thousands of Malaysians caught in the web of online scams, which have evolved from crude phishing emails to highly targeted, psychologically-manipulative operations. Despite record-breaking enforcement – 2.1 billion suspicious calls and messages blocked between 2022 and August 2025, and over 112,000 scam posts removed – predators are still finding their way in. For victims, the losses go beyond money. They carry paranoia, sleepless nights and a shaken trust in the systems meant to protect them – and in a world where a phone call can erase years of savings in hours, that trust is a currency they may never get back. In July, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo announced that his ministry would present a cybersecurity enforcement strategy to the Cabinet, prepared by CyberSecurity Malaysia, with a proposal for a dedicated enforcement agency to better implement existing laws. The plan involves cooperation between the Home Ministry, the Communications Ministry and the Law and Institutional Reform Ministry. But until that strategy moves from paper to practice, victims like Lawrence and Nisa remain stranded between the moment their money vanished and the day justice finally arrives.
New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Over 6,000 bribery cases recorded since 2015
KUALA LUMPUR: From 2015 to June 30 this year, a total of 6,585 cases involving the acceptance and giving of bribes were recorded, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. Of that total, 4,896 cases involved receiving of bribes, while 1,689 involved the giving of bribes. She said the data was based on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), which opens investigation papers based on information and complaints received, carrying out its duties under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009. "Of the cases involving the acceptance of bribes, 2,965 involved public servants, followed by 1,101 private sector employees, 119 government-linked company (GLC) workers, 680 members of the public, and 31 politicians. "For cases involving the giving of bribes, 47 involved public servants, followed by 511 private sector employees, 64 GLC workers, 1,061 members of the public, and six politicians," she said in a parliamentary written reply. Azalina was responding to Khairil Nizam Khirudin (PN-Jerantut), who inquired about statistics of bribe givers and recipients by race, age, and field of career over the past 10 years. By race, Malays accounted for 3,690 cases of receiving bribes, followed by Chinese (494), Indians (263), and other ethnic groups (449). For cases involving the giving of bribes, Malays accounted for 390 cases, followed by Chinese (630), Indians (151), and others (518). Regarding age categories for cases involving the acceptance of bribes, 2,603 were aged 40 years and below; 2,097 were aged 41 to 60; and 196 were aged 61 and above. For cases involving the giving of bribes, 981 were aged 40 years and below; 622 were aged 41 to 60; and 86 were aged 61 and above.
