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GEORGE TOWN: Penang police arrested a drug syndicate and seized drugs valued at RM8.14 million with the arrest of six people, including the mastermind, his wife and his mother, in a series of raids yesterday.
This was the largest seizure by Penang police this year.
Penang Police Chief Sahabudin Abd Manan said that in the operation, four locations were raided from 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. before the six, aged 28 to 59, were arrested.
“The first two men, including the 35-year-old union leader, were arrested while in a car in Sungai Nibong. It was believed that they were distributing drugs. They had 2 kg of syabu with them.
“Later, the police arrested another man and seized drugs from a house in Sungai Nibong. After a raid on another house in Bayan Lepas, the fourth suspect was arrested.
“After questioning, the police were taken to the drug storage site at a house in Balik Pulau where the wife and mother of the union leader lived,” he told a press conference here today.
The police seized 133.3 kg of syabu, 20.7 kg of ketamine and 11.1 kg of heroin base, all worth RM8.14 million, in the raids.
Sahabudin said the 28-year-old wife of the union leader, a Thai national, was believed to have ties to drug trade unions in the neighboring country.
The drugs are believed to have been transported overland through Sintok, Kedah, before being delivered to Penang.
“The couple have three young children. They were handed over to the Department of Social Welfare when they arrested their 59-year-old grandmother, also a member of the union, ”he said.
All six have been in preventive detention for seven days for investigations.
