POLICE have busted a drug trafficking syndicate and heroin-processing laboratory following the arrest of four men and the seizure of various types of drugs worth RM1.87 million in a series of raids in Penang.

Penang police chief Khaw Kok Chin said the state Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID), together with the Bukit Aman NCID, launched an operation from 9am on Friday until yesterday and raided six locations in the Timur Laut and Barat Daya districts.

“In the first raid, police arrested a 27-year-old man, who is the mastermind, by the roadside in Tanjung Tokong at 9pm (Friday) and seized various types of drugs in his car, which was parked about 200m away from him,” he told a press conference in George Town today.

“Police then arrested another man in Gelugor at 12.20am (Saturday) and two others, aged 28 and 33, on Lebuh Sungai Pinang at 1am (Saturday).

“Following the arrest of these three men, we seized heroin and syabu kept in cars parked not far from where they were detained.

“Their modus operandi is to leave the vehicles containing the drugs for the buyers to come and take them without their presence.”

Khaw said police raided a two-storey bungalow in Teluk Kumbar at 7.15pm on Saturday and discovered a heroin-processing laboratory.

He said the syndicate is believed to have rented the property to carry out their drug processing and trafficking activities since early this year.

“Police then raided two more locations yesterday. Based on preliminary investigations, the syndicate obtained its drugs from overseas and processed them at the house before selling them to local buyers,” he said.

Khaw said police seized heroin weighing 23.38kg, heroin base (18.4kg), syabu (1.507kg), caffeine powder (94.4kg) and various types of chemicals used for processing heroin in the raids.

He said police also confiscated six cars, cash, jewellery and two motorcycles. – Bernama, October 23, 2023.