30 January 2014| last updated at 12:14AM
Police cripple three drug syndicates
KUALA LUMPUR: Police believed they have busted three drug syndicates with the arrest of 18 people, including three Singaporean men and five women, and the seizure of drugs worth RM1.097mil in three separate raids here.
City Narcotics Department chief Assistant Commissioner Wan Abdullah Ishak said in the first raid on Saturday, police nabbed a Singaporean and his wife, a local, at a bungalow in Lorong Teluk Panglima Garang, Seputeh, after two weeks of surveillance.
"We raided the couple's three-storey bungalow at 1am and found various types of illegal drugs worth about RM750,000," he said, adding that police also seized five luxury cars, RM120,000 cash and Singaporean dollar $23,095 (RM60,358).
"Initial investigations revealed the Singaporean was the suspected mastermind behind the drug operations for local and Singapore markets."
Checks revealed that within three months, the suspect had visited Malaysia eight times and kept a low profile by renting the house for RM5,000 per month, located in a secluded area to evade police detection.
"He is also on the Singapore police wanted list for two pending cases," he said, adding that three Indonesian men, who tested positive for drugs, were also arrested in the raid.
In another case, police arrested three men of the Connaught Club in Taman Bukit Cheras at 2.15am last Wednesday.
"We seized 5,000 Ecstasy pills worth RM200,000 from the suspects. One of them had previous criminal record," Wan Abdullah said.
In the third raid, four women and four men, including a Singaporean, were arrested at the Faber Height condominium in Taman Desa on Jan 21.
"RM3,500 cash, 1.22kg of ketamine and 2,751 Ecstasy pills worth RM149,040 were seizedwhen police raided at 1.30am."
In Malacca, three robbers, in balaclavas and armed with parangs, almost escaped after robbing state Gerakan chairman Datuk Lee Ah Fat at his house in Jalan Palembang, Bukit Baru, yesterday morning.
They were spotted by a passing police patrol car when they stepped out of the house, resulting in their arrest and their two accomplices who were waiting in two luxury cars about one kilometre from the crime scene.
In the 6.30am robbery, Lee, who was at home with his family, was held at knife-point while the robbers stole about RM2,000 cash, three watches and other valuables.
Melaka Tengah police chief ACP Salehhudin Abd Rahman said the robbers were believed to have broken into the house through a back door and took with them the closed-circuit-television recording before fleeing.
