Singaporean among 3 men nabbed in Johor Bahru for drugs worth over $910k

Three men, including a Singaporean, have been arrested following a series of raids that led to the seizure of more than RM3 million (S$910,000) worth of drugs in Johor Bahru.

Johor police chief M. Kumar said the suspects were arrested in seven separate raids conducted on Feb 6 and 7 around the city.

"At around midnight on Feb 6, police from the Johor Bahru South mobile patrol vehicle unit stopped a man who was acting suspiciously," he said at a press conference on Feb 14.

"Upon further checks, they found about 1.57g of syabu on the 41-year-old local man and arrested him."

Syabu is a slang term for methamphetamine.

"Interrogation of the suspect led to six other raids and the arrests of two more individuals, including a Singaporean."

Commissioner Kumar said the suspects were believed to be using condominiums as storage and packing facilities for drugs, which are suspected to have originated from Kuala Lumpur.

"The raids included four condominium units, two of which were in the same building," he said.

"We believe the syndicate, which has been active since last month, was mixing several different types of drugs.

"The drug cocktail was then packed into sachets with labels resembling various instant drink brands," he said, adding that each sachet was priced between RM200 and RM250.

Datuk Kumar said the operation resulted in the seizure of approximately 22.7kg of various drugs worth RM3.18 million, capable of feeding the addiction of more than 77,000 people.

"We also seized four cars, one motorcycle, jewellery, 14 watches, cash amounting to RM1,491 and S$117," he added.

He said police are also tracking other syndicate members, including possible masterminds operating in other countries.

When asked if the syndicate intended to smuggle the drugs into Singapore, he said investigations are ongoing.

Datuk Kumar said the suspects were being remanded until Feb 17. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK