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GEORGE TOWN: The MMEA made its biggest drug loot in its 13 years of operations when it seized 2,118 kg of methamphetamine worth RM 105.9 million here last week.
The agency also detained a man and a boat, 5.3 nautical miles south of Pulau Kendi, near Teluk Kumbar, on Wednesday.
MMEA CEO Mohd Zubil Mat Som said the agency spotted the ship, operated by the suspect, in the waters off Pulau Kendi at 11:30 a.m.
“The MMEA patrol boat closely followed the pleasure boat before demanding that it stop.
“The suspect ignored the order and sped up. After a 30-minute chase, he jumped into the sea and the ship kept moving without a crew.
“MMEA agents later arrested the 26-year-old man and detained the ship,” he told a news conference.
He said that upon inspection, they found 130 sacks containing 1,998 packages of Chinese tea, filled with methamphetamine weighing 2,118 kg worth 105.9 million ringgit. It is believed that they were brought from Indonesia.
Zubil said subsequent investigations showed the man would collect the drugs in international waters and he was paid between RM5,000 and RM10,000 for each shipment.
“Our investigations also found that the unemployed man had arrived in Sungai Juru on another ship and headed for international waters before exchanging his ship for the one containing the drugs.
“His ship would then be piloted by the other party, also part of the drug trafficking syndicate, back to the country of origin,” he said.
According to Zubil, the man admitted that it was the third time he did it, with the first and second trips in October and November, involving various types of drugs weighing 1,000 kg.
He said all the seized drugs were believed to be distributed to the union’s network, which included Thailand, as the market price there was three times the price in Malaysia.
“This success is also the biggest benefit in 13 years of MMEA operations,” he said.
The man was held in pre-trial detention for seven days and the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1952.
