PENANG POLICE BUST DRUG SYNDICATE AFTER ARRESTING TWO SUSPECTS IN SPT

GEORGE TOWN, April 19 (Bernama) -- Police busted a cannabis trafficking syndicate that has been active since the beginning of this year by arresting two local men and seizing RM68,000 worth of marijuana in three raids around the Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) district yesterday.

Penang police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the raid was carried out by a team of personnel from the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (JSJN) of the Penang Police Headquarters (IPK) through a planned operation from 3 to 7 pm.

He said in the first raid, police arrested a local man in the Seberang Jaya area and seized a transparent plastic packet containing crystal nuggets suspected to weigh 0.45 grams of syabu.

"Guided by the suspects, the police were then taken to a nearby area and seized three blue plastic boxes with one box containing eight compressed wrapped chunks and six transparent plastic packets containing dried leaves suspected to be cannabis estimated to weigh 8,478 grams.

"The other two boxes contained seven compressed chunks each of transparent plastic wrap containing dried leaves suspected to be cannabis weighing an estimated 7,400 grams and 7,414 grams," he said in a statement tonight.

Following this, Hamzah said they conducted a separate raid at SPT and managed to arrest a man believed to be a member of the syndicate.

He said apart from the drugs, they also seized a Honda Wave motorcycle, a Toyota Camry, various jewellery and branded watches worth RM35,000, bringing the total seizure to RM103,000.

He said the seized drugs could be used by 11,500 addicts and urine test found both suspects positive for drugs and had past records related to drugs and crime.

The two suspects, aged 31 and 53, would be remanded for seven days until April 25 for further investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act (ADB) 1952.

-- BERNAMA