JOHOR BARU: Police have seized RM18.19 million worth of synthetic drugs and dismantled a drug lab in Masai and Permas Jaya before it became fully operational.
Three suspects, including a woman, aged between 17 and 22, were arrested during two raids on Oct 1.
Federal Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the syndicate used a shop lot to store chemicals and equipment while a terrace house was being set up for drug processing.
"Based on the amount and type of equipment found, we believe the lab was still being set up and had not started full-scale operations.
"If we had not found it early, it could have produced large quantities of drugs for local and international markets," he said at a press conference.
Police seized 106.84kg of MDMA powder, 14 litres of liquid MDMA, 23 litres of suspected cannabis liquid, 122.14g of ecstasy powder and 7.56g of Erimin 5 pills in two raids.
The first raid at Taman Megah Ria, Masai, led to the arrest of all three suspects and the seizure of 101.6kg of suspected MDMA powder, 14 litres of liquid MDMA, 122g of ecstasy powder and 30 suspected Erimin 5 pills.
Follow-up investigations led police to a second raid at a house in Permas Jaya, where they seized another 5.2kg of MDMA powder and 23 litres of suspected cannabis liquid.
A forklift and various drug-processing equipment were also seized.
The seized drugs could have reached about 426,000 people if they had entered the market, Hussein said
Hussein said preliminary investigations suggested the syndicate could be linked to an international network. Police are tracking several other suspects.
The chemists believed to have the expertise to process the drugs had yet to arrive when the raids were conducted, he said.
Police are also investigating the three suspects' roles, including whether they acted as coordinators, processors or couriers.
Two suspects tested positive for methamphetamine, but none had a criminal record.
The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment upon conviction. If the death penalty is not imposed, offenders face at least 12 strokes of the cane.
Police also seized a Toyota Hilux worth an estimated RM105,000 under the Dangerous Drugs (Forfeiture of Property) Act.
Hussein urged anyone with information on drug trafficking to contact the NCID hotline at 012-208 7222.
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