KOTA KINABALU, Feb 13 — Authorities here seized a record of more than three tonnes of narcotics worth over RM170 million and the arrest of eight suspects in a series of coordinated raids beginning January 20.
Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail said the operation — codenamed Ops Coleoptera and Ops Bayu 2 — uncovered an international syndicate that used cargo containers declared as machinery and transported via sea routes from Port Klang as the main transit point into Sabah.
The integrated operation was led by Bukit Aman’s Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department with support from Sabah police, Customs Department and Port Authority.
The first raid on January 20 was at a house in Taman Landmark Phase 2, Penampang, which led to the arrest of two local men and the seizure of 548kg of methamphetamine and 31kg of ecstasy pills.
A second raid the same day at Taman Perdana Phase 1 resulted in the arrest of a local man and a foreign woman, with 1.6kg of methamphetamine recovered.
Another local woman believed to be acting as a syndicate lookout was also detained.
On January 21, police raided a logistics premises in Port Klang, where 255kg of methamphetamine believed to be awaiting shipment to Sabah was seized.
Two local men were arrested in the Klang Valley for allegedly supplying pallets used to transport the drugs.
Subsequent raids at Sepanggar Bay Port, Inanam, and several other locations led to further seizures including 1,202kg and 357kg of methamphetamine, 59kg of ecstasy pills, 51kg of ketamine, 4kg of vape liquid suspected to contain cocaine, and 2.6kg of Erimin 5 pills.
Inspections on a container truck around Kota Kinabalu later uncovered another 679kg of methamphetamine and 52kg of ketamine, with another local man arrested.
Overall, authorities confiscated 3,043.5kg of methamphetamine, 102.5kg of ketamine, 90kg of ecstasy pills, 4kg of suspected cocaine vape liquid, and 2.6kg of Erimin 5 pills — with an estimated total value exceeding RM174 million.
Khalid said the drugs could have affected up to 16 million individuals if they had entered the market.
Asset seizures under the Dangerous Drugs (Forfeiture of Property) Act 1988 amounted to about RM1 million, involving vehicles, high-powered motorcycles, RM504,850 in cash, luxury watches, and jewellery.
Of the suspects arrested, four have been charged under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, one is being detained under the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985, two were released on bond as prosecution witnesses, and another remains under investigation.
Khalid said preliminary investigations indicate the syndicate had been operating for several years, using sea routes across the South China Sea and logistics premises as temporary storage hubs before distributing drugs to international markets.
In a separate, unrelated case, police arrested seven individuals and seized more than 111kg of syabu, 419kg of ecstasy powder, 6.7kg of ecstasy pills, 71kg of ketamine, and 25kg of Erimin, valued at RM69.6 million. Items including vehicles, mobile phones and cash were also confiscated.
Investigations are ongoing to determine whether both cases are linked.
Malay Mail – Malaysia
