Police bust drug lab, detain two men and seize drugs worth RM5.78 million

GEORGE TOWN - Police busted a heroin processing lab, detained two local men and seized an assortment of drugs worth RM5.78 million in a series of raids in Penang, last Tuesday.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crimes Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Seri Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said the raids were conducted by the Penang NCID, following the arrest of a 46-year-old man at Lebuh Raya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu at 4 pm on Tuesday.

"Following his arrest, the police raided a supermarket car park in Alma, Bukit Mertajam near here about 8 pm the same day and detained another man aged 42.

‘The police were then led to a luxury condominium in Tanjung Tokong where they discovered a heroin processing lab,” he told at a press conference here today.

In the raid at the condominium, the police also seized 65.38 kgs of heroin base, 13.62 kgs of heroin, 8.48 kgs of caffeine, and numerous drug paraphernalia, all worth RM5.78 million, he said, adding that a Toyota Estima multi-purpose vehicle worth RM70,000 was also seized in the operation.

Kamarudin said that based on preliminary investigation, the heroin base was smuggled overland from Thailand and the syndicate is suspected of being active since early this year and had been moving around to evade detection.

"The two suspects are experts in heroin processing and have been renting the condominium unit since last year,” he said, adding that police were on the hunt for other members of the syndicate.

He said, the two men, both unemployed, with no previous record and tested negative for drugs, were on remand for seven days until Aug 23 under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. - BERNAMA