Over RM7mil in drugs, cash and assets seized in Johor
A 45-year-old man and two Vietnamese women were arrested during two operations on June 14 and 15, during which police confiscated more than 42kg of various drugs.
Johor police chief Datuk M. Kumar said the women, aged 34 and 23, were believed to be working as the man's aides.
Initial investigations revealed the syndicate had been active since early this year, operating out of two rented double-storey terrace houses used to process, repackage and store drugs.
"The first house, rented under the main suspect's name since April 2023, contained 2,670g of powder believed to be ecstasy and 368g of suspected cannabis.
"We believe the drugs were processed and packaged at this location.
"Following the arrest, the suspect led police to another house about 1km away, which he had rented just last month.
"There, police seized 38,022g of suspected ecstasy powder and 1,375g of suspected ketamine. We believe this second premises was used as a drug storage facility before distribution," he said at a press conference at the Johor police headquarters today.
Kumar said the total value of the seized drugs was RM6,875,354 — enough to supply 146,195 addicts.
In addition to the drugs, police confiscated processing and repackaging equipment, two vehicles, RM49,150 in cash, SGD2,580 (about RM8,835), and assorted jewellery, bringing the total value of seizures to more than RM7.14 million.
Kumar said the syndicate processed the drugs and repackaged them into small packets ranging from 30g to 100g, selling them locally for between RM250 and RM350 each.
"The suspect identified buyers and marketed the drugs via social media.
"Some of the drugs were delivered directly by syndicate members, while others were left at designated drop-off points for buyers to collect," he said.
Urine tests showed all three suspects tested positive for methamphetamine, ketamine and benzodiazepines.
They have been remanded until this Thursday for investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for drug trafficking, and Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for immigration offences.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
10 minutes ago
- The Star
Immigration nabs dozens of foreigners in raids on Pontian nightclubs
PONTIAN: A total of 29 foreigners were arrested for various immigration offences in an operation involving three entertainment centres here. Johor Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said the suspects, aged between 18 and 40, were arrested during an operation codenamed Ops Gegar, conducted at around midnight on Wednesday (July 30) in Pontian. 'A total of 69 individuals, including locals, were inspected during the operation. 'Further checks led to the arrest of 17 Vietnamese women, 11 Indonesian women and an Indonesian man. 'The suspects are believed to have misused their social visit pass and temporary work visit pass to work as waitresses at the entertainment centres,' he said in a statement on Friday. He added that the department also arrested three local men, believed to be managers and supervisors of the centres. Mohd Rusdi said the foreigners were detained under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering and staying in Malaysia without valid permits. They are also being investigated under Section 15(1)(c) of the Act for overstaying, and Section 56(1)(i) for possessing false or altered entry permits, passes or certificates. 'They are also believed to have committed offences under Regulation 11(7)(a) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 for misusing social visit passes, and Regulation 39(b) for violating the conditions of their passes. 'Meanwhile, the three Malaysians were detained for harbouring foreigners under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63,' he said. Mohd Rusdi added that a total of 17 notices were issued to individuals to appear at the department's enforcement division to assist with investigations. 'All detainees are being held at the Pekan Nanas Immigration Depot for investigation and further action,' he said.
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Family wins suit over suicide in MMEA custody, govt to pay RM194,170
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has ordered the government to pay RM194,170 to the family of a man who hanged himself in a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) lockup, ruling that his death was caused by serious negligence while in custody. Judge Datuk Alice Loke Yee Ching found that officers failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the suicide of M. Thinagaran while he was on remand for a drug trafficking investigation. The court allowed the negligence claim filed by the deceased's wife, R. Tenaswari, and father, K. Madhavan, who sued the government and two MMEA officers, as co-administrators of Thinagaran's estate. Loke said authorities created the very conditions that enabled Thinagaran to end his life. "The deceased hung the extra pair of pants from a grill on the ceiling, which had been installed after a previous escape by a detainee. "Unfortunately, the grill and the pants became the very means for the deceased to harm himself. "There was no reason to have provided the deceased with the extra pair of pants. "The presence of the grill ought to have raised a red flag. "The defendants obviously overlooked this and should have taken steps to avoid exposing the deceased to danger," she said in her written judgment dated July 28. She said there was a clear breach of duty as the deceased was given an extra pair of trousers in a lockup with a ceiling grill, where the risk of suicide among detainees was foreseeable. The court also found that the MMEA lockup in Klang was not a gazetted detention facility and that its closed-circuit television (CCTV) system was only monitored once every hour. "Monitoring at hourly intervals defeats the purpose of having CCTV. "It is meant for continuous monitoring. Had there not been a lapse in monitoring, the suicide could have been prevented. "The lack of closer monitoring caused the officers on duty to miss the entire series of actions taken by the deceased just prior to his suicide," the judge said. The court dismissed the government's defence that Thinagaran's death was unforeseeable or that his act of suicide broke the chain of causation. "His death was the very event their duty was directed at. "It is therefore not open to the defendants to contend that the actions of the deceased broke the chain of causation. "Persons in custody are susceptible to mental stress. "They are vulnerable to depression, and hence suicidal impulses are not unforeseeable." The court also rejected the argument that Thinagaran was contributorily negligent, saying he was under immense psychological pressure from facing a capital offence and that it would be unfair to blame him for his own death. The court awarded RM6,370 in special damages, RM5,000 for funeral expenses, RM10,000 for bereavement, and RM172,800 for loss of earnings. "It also awarded RM30,000 in costs to the plaintiffs. Lawyer M. Manoharan appeared for the plaintiffs, while senior federal counsel Siti Syakimah Ibrahim represented the defendants.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
KL Immigration raids three-storey spa offering sex services
KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur branch of the Malaysian Immigration Department raided a massage parlour and uncovered prostitution activities on Wednesday (July 30). The raid through Ops Gegar was carried out on a three-storey spa in Jalan Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang here at around 4.45pm based on public complaints. KL Immigration director-general Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff said during the raid, a total of 22 individuals were arrested, comprising 15 foreign women, five foreign men and two local men, aged between 19 and 36 years. He said all the women arrested were believed to be working as sex workers, including six Indonesian women, five Vietnamese women, two Bangladeshi women, one Mongolian and one Chinese woman. "These premises offer sex and body massage packages or sex services only with an estimated price of around RM250 to RM450, depending on the nationality of the sex workers involved," he said when met at the raid location on Wednesday. According to him, two local men who were acting as guards at the premises were arrested under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for protecting, hiring or employing illegal immigrants. "All foreigners, including men believed to be employees or customers at the premises, were detained under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 for violating the conditions of passes or permits issued under the Immigration Act 1959/63. "A total of seven summons notices to witnesses have been issued to customers and employees to appear to assist in the investigation at the Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department," he added. – Bernama
