NILAI – The Customs Department foiled three cases of international drug trafficking with a combined seizure of 370.8kg of drugs worth RM25.5 million in raids held this month.
In the biggest haul, Datuk Sazali Mohamad, the department’s deputy director-general for enforcement and compliance, said the operations team seized Ecstasy pills with a gross weight of 269.75kg worth RM19.8 million.
In a raid on a petrol station in Damansara, Selangor, at 9.30pm on October 20, Customs also arrested two men aged 44 and 57 before finding two wooden crates of Ecstasy pills hidden in several sacks.
“Also seized was a Toyota Vellfire and a lorry. The modus operandi of this syndicate is to hoodwink the authorities by hiding the drugs in wooden boxes declared as machinery.
“Preliminary investigations show this clandestine operation used an air route from a European country, with transit in a Middle East country before arriving in this country as the final destination,” he said at the narcotics branch of the Customs headquarters in Kg Jijan here today.
Based on the weight of the drugs, a total of 1.35 million doses were eliminated and the case is being investigated under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Meanwhile, in a different case, Customs arrested a 42-year-old man at a location in Petaling Jaya, Selangor at 4.30pm on October 11, along with a transport lorry containing four boxes of ketamine weighing 91.05kg worth RM5.4 million .
“In this case, the merchandise was declared as ‘tiles adhesive’ and the recipient’s address was changed at the last minute, before delivery was made. The merchandise was imported by air from a European country and arrived in this country as the final destination,” he said.
The drugs could have supplied a total of 450,000 doses and the case is being investigated under Section 39(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
Regarding another case on October 13, Customs seized 10kg of methamphetamine worth RM330,000 hidden in packets of dog food.
“Following the arrest of a 42-year-old local man, investigations led us to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Cargo Complex with a shipment addressed to a Petaling Jaya location,” he said
He said the modus operandi was to address the dog food to an uninhabited and empty house.
The cargo was imported by air from a European country with Malaysia named as the final destination.
The seized drugs were estimated to produce 50,000 doses and the case was investigated under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act. – October 28, 2023