10 hours ago
Cops bust ring selling cocaine-laced vapes, S'porean among 4 nabbed
Bukit Aman narcotics CID acting director Mat Zani @ Salahuddin Che Ali said the 31-year-old Singaporean suspect is believed to be the mastermind of the syndicate. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA : Police have busted a syndicate distributing vapes containing cocaine-laced liquids with the arrest of four suspects, including a Singaporean.
Bukit Aman narcotics crime investigation department acting director Mat Zani @ Salahuddin Che Ali said the four, aged 25 to 57, were arrested near a hotel at Ampang Jaya on June 19, Utusan Malaysia reported.
Police arrested three of the suspects in an MPV while another suspect was nabbed at the lobby of the hotel.
He said the Singaporean, 31, is believed to be the mastermind of the syndicate.
Police found 10 boxes containing 4,958 vape cartridges in the MPV. The cartridges were filled with 9.42 litres of liquid containing cocaine, with an estimated street value of RM7.29 million.
Mat Zani said the syndicate had been operating since March from a luxury condominium unit they rented for RM300 a night in the city centre.
The condo served as their base for packaging the vapes before distributing them overseas.
He said the drugs were believed to have been smuggled into the country through a southern state.
'We believe the syndicate had used Malaysia as a transit point to smuggle drugs abroad through courier services. Each vape cartridge had 1.9ml (of cocaine), sold at RM1,500, and was good for 100 puffs.
'This is the latest threat to our country since cocaine is hard to acquire in Southeast Asia,' he said, adding that he believed the vapes were also being sold among the 'elites' in the country.
One of the four suspects tested positive for ketamine, and two of them had criminal records for drug offences. They have been remanded until June 26 to assist in the investigations.
