JOHOR police crippled a syndicate and seized drugs worth RM1.66 million in a series of operations conducted in several districts from October 28 until yesterday.

State police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat said during the operations police arrested 22 individuals, comprising 19 local men, two foreign women and one local woman aged between 19 and 39.

The operations involving 25 officers and men were carried out in Johor Baru, Iskandar Puteri, Seri Alam and Kota Tinggi.

“The syndicate’s modus operandi was to use houses in ‘gated and guarded’ residential areas as drug storage and repackaging centres.

“They used the services of runners on motorcycles to carry out their operations. We suspect they have been active since the mid-2022,” he said in a statement today.

He said the seized drugs included 7.02kg of syabu, heroin (5.8kg), ketamine (489.3g), ecstasy powder (305.8g); 340 eramin pills, 32 ecstasy pills and ganja (0.65g).  

These drugs could be supplied to 68,048 addicts if sold on the street, he said.

“We also confiscated cash totalling RM145,458; SG$4,684; US$30; eight cars; two Rolex watches, 14 pieces of jewellery and 23 mobile phones,” he said.

The drugs and assets seized are worth a total of RM2.76 million.

Meanwhile, from January 1 to November 3 this year, Johor police made 12,327 drug-related arrests and seized 2.97 tonnes of drugs worth RM13.17 million and assets valued at RM9.5 million. – Bernama, November 4, 2022.