PAHANG police said they have arrested three men in their 60s on suspicion of running a drug smuggling and distribution gang, seizing 841kg of syabu worth RM30.8 million in the process.

State police chief Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said the three men, ages 61-63, were arrested by a police team on the roadside in the Bukit Tinggi area of Bentong on Saturday.

He said the arrest led to a raid on a house used for storing syabu, which was sold locally at a price of RM36,000/kg.

He said the 61- and 63-year-old suspects work as durian growers, while the 62-year-old suspect is unemployed and is said to have been involved since early this year.

“The gang is believed to use courier services and sea routes to smuggle drugs to the international market, which we suspect is to regional countries, while they are also involved in drug trafficking for the local market.

“The police are still tracking other members of the gang,” he said at a press conference at Bentong police headquarters today.

In addition to the drugs, Ramli said the police also seized a Glock pistol, fake firearms, bullet casings, live ammunition, a Nissan Sunny car and RM1,564 in cash.

He added that none of the suspects have previous convictions and they tested negative for drugs.

The suspects were remanded for seven days until Saturday to assist the investigation in accordance with section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and section 8 of the Arms Act 1960, he said.

In a separate arrest, Ramli said that the police detained a 31-year-old man in Kampung Pengsenam, Temerloh, in an operation that started at 10pm last night, believed to be involved in drug trafficking.

He said that further investigation has found 10 transparent plastic packets containing syabu, estimated to weigh 507g and be worth RM18,000, with the suspect believed to have procured the supply from the Klang Valley before distributing it in the Felda settlement area.

The suspect, who has no previous convictions, was remanded for six days, starting yesterday, to assist in the investigation under section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. – Bernama, August 25, 2022.