Customs Dept seizes drugs worth RM5mil near Nilai

NILAI: The Customs Department has seized 154kg of methamphetamine worth some RM5mil and arrested four suspects in separate operations here

Acting Customs deputy director-general (enforcement and compliance) Ribuan Abdullah said his men, in a joint operation with Bukit Aman had carried out the operations on May 14.

“The team first inspected a Proton X50 which had stopped along the south bound emergency lane of the North South Expressway near the Sg Buaya interchange. They saw four bags in the car and upon opening them, found gold-coloured packets with a durian logo on them.

“When they opened the packets, they found the drugs which were in crsytal form, neatly packed in them,” he told reporters at the department’s narcotics headquarters in Kg Jijan near here.

The 45-year-old driver of the car was subsequently arrested.

Ribuan said in follow up operations, the team arrested three other suspects who were believed to have acted as tontos for the main suspect.

He said two suspects aged 24 and 29 who were in a Toyota Vios were arrested at the Jalan Duta toll plaza while another 34-year-old man in a Perodua Myvi was detained in Rawang.

Ribuan said preliminary investigations revealed that the drugs had been brought in from a neighbouring country.

“We have reasons to believe that the drugs could be used by 770,000 drug users and were destined for the Klang Valley market,” he said, adding that all three cars used by the suspects were rented.

Ribuan said the main suspect who works as a lorry driver was remanded for 14 days while the three others were remanded for 10 days.

All four do not have a criminal record and are from the Klang Valley.

He added that the case is being investigated under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment with at least 12 strokes of the cane.

Ribuan appealed to the public to help the department combat such activities as this not only causes the country to lose revenue but is also a threat to national security and the people’s well-being

The public, he added, could call the Customs toll-free line at 1-800-88-8855 to report such crimes.

Their identities, he said, would be kept confidential.