KUALA LUMPUR: Drug trafficking syndicates seem to be phasing out drug mules and opting for more creative ways to smuggle their illicit products.
Of all the cases detected this year, only one involved a drug mule smuggling drugs.
Bukit Aman Narcotic Crime Investigation (NCID) Department deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Dzuraidi Ibrahim said that between Jan 1 and March 24 this year, 5,012 suspected drug suppliers were arrested.
“We also arrested 11,093 for possession while 33,350 people tested positive for drug abuse.
“We also seized RM58.37mil of drugs, including 1.5 tons of ganja, 233.1kg of syabu, 72.5kg of heroin, 31.4kg of ketamin, 596,153 Yaba pills, 542,463 Erimin 5 pills and 89,313 ecstasy pills,” he told reporters at Bukit Aman yesterday.
He said based on their observations, drug smugglers favoured smuggling in their products in cargo compared to hiring drug mules.
DCP Mohd Dzuraidi said police recently crippled two attempts by a syndicate to smuggle drugs into the country.
“The drugs, which were believed to have been brought in from China, were hidden in laptop adapters and water filters,” he said.
He added that the Bukit Aman NCID and Special Tactical Intelligence Narcotics Group (STING) team conducted two raids at Taman Usahawan Kepong and caught two Nigerian men and a 30-year-old woman from Uganda on March 25.
“When we arrested the two men, we found 13.2kg of syabu hidden in water filters.
“When we raided the suspect’s house, we found the woman,” he said, adding that the three suspects did not have any documents.
DCP Mohd Dzuraidi said three days later they arrested a 33-year-old local woman in Tasik Perdana Industrial Area, Puchong, and seized 928g of syabu hidden in laptop computer adapters.
“The drugs were in her car when we arrested her.
“We then raided a premises in Taman Serdang Perdana, Seri Kembangan, and arrested a Nigerian man and a Ugandan woman aged 34 and 36,” he said, adding that all six suspects were believed to be from the same syndicate.
