by Theleaders-Online | March 24, 2021 8:52 am
BUKIT MERTAJAM: Police have uncovered an ecstasy-processing laboratory and seized drugs worth RM11.8 million from a house in Taman Pauh Jaya, after arresting three members of a syndicate.
Penang police chief Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan said police raided the rented house in the upmarket housing estate after two of the suspects were arrested in a car chase on Monday.
He said the drama unfolded at 9.30 am when a police team tailed a Range Rover Evoque car with two men inside in Taman Pauh Jaya.
“On realising they were being followed, the driver stepped on the accelerator in a bid to shake off the police party, causing his car to hit the police vehicle.
“The two men, aged 33 and 37, were nabbed when their car skidded and crashed in Taman Sutera after a three-kilometre chase,” he told a press conference here today.
In a follow-up operation, police raided the terrace house in Taman Pauh Jaya, where they found the ecstasy-processing laboratory which had been operating since September last year, he said.
They seized an assortment of drugs, including 170,272 grammes (gm) of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 25,000 gm of caffeine powder, 23,600 gm of ecstasy pills, 3,500 eramin 5 pills, 5,000 gm of MDMA juice and 10 litres of alcohol, and three units of a machine for making pills, all worth RM11.8 million.
Police had put the syndicate under surveillance for two weeks before springing into action.
Sahabudin said police then raided a house in Sungai Petani, Kedah at 5.30 pm on the same day and arrested a 30-year-old man who is a brother of the 33-year-old suspect.
He said the first two suspects were experts in cooking and processing ecstasy, and both tested positive for drugs and had records for drug-related offences.
Sahabudin said the ecstasy pills were sold at RM5 to RM10 each to the syndicate’s distributors, who then peddled the pills at between RM25 and RM35 each.
The syndicate also sold three-in-one instant packet drinks containing MDMA juice at entertainment outlets for between RM250 and RM300 per packet, he said.
“Police are not ruling out the possibility that the syndicate has an international connection. The ecstasy pills have colour coding to indicate the area for distribution,” he said, adding that the seized drugs were enough to supply to 651,135 addicts.
Police also seized a Kawasaki Z800 motorcycle valued at RM27,000 and six luxury vehicles worth a total of RM491,000. They included a Toyota Camry, Subaru, Honda Odyssey and Mercedes Benz registered under the name of a Thai.
All the three suspects have been remanded for seven days for investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. — Bernama
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