SHAH ALAM: Fifty-six drug syndicates were busted by police from the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (JSJN) across the country, with 217 individuals involved arrested in the first two months of this year.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said during the arrests, over 76 tonnes of various types of drugs and 9,752.46 litres of liquid drugs valued at RM245.22 million, as well as 61 tonnes of ketum leaves worth RM671,165.80 were also seized.

He said that among the syndicate’s modus operandi since last year until February this year was using sea routes as this could enable them to ferry the drugs in large quantities.

“The other methods are using courier services by concealing the drugs in basic essentials and prayer items and hiding behind the transportation sector that delivers daily necessities using lorries and through e-hailing,” he added.

Abdul Hamid said the number of arrests made and the amount of drugs worth millions of ringgit seized each week showed that the threat of drug addiction in the country was still high.

“That is why we want to stop the drug supply, especially at the entertainment joints because these are where the drugs are sold to the patrons and that is also why in many of the police raids conducted, 95 per cent of them were found to be positive for drugs from the urine tests done,” he added.

The IGP said he feared that if no additional enforcement efforts were made, Malaysia could be a tourist destination favoured by drug addicts as these drugs were available everywhere in this country.

“Therefore, I have asked and appeal to the government for additional manpower for the JSJN as the threat is widespread, not just concentrated in Klang Valley, but from Perlis to Sabah,” he said at a news conference, here, today.

Abdul Hamid said the JSJN had asked him for 15,000 additional posts but in the short-term, 2,500 could be sufficient to strengthen the department, and the discussion between the Public Service Department and police on the additional manpower required was still on-going.

Earlier, he said another drug smuggling syndicate from Thailand was busted with the arrest of three men, aged between 37 and 42, in a raid on a house in Kajang, Selangor by Bukit Aman JSJN on March 17.

He said during the raid, 26 plastic sacks of syabu weighing 673.20 kg were seized from the house and police also found another 12 sacks of the same drug weighing 309.85 kg in a lorry parked in front of the house.

“The amount of drug estimated to be worth over RM35 million could be used by 4.915 million addicts, ” he said, adding that the syndicate was believed to have been active since early this year.

Abdul Hamid said the three men arrested were believed to have been bringing in the drug via Kelantan for the Klang Valley market and police were now tracking down the syndicate boss.

The three who already have a criminal record, were tested positive for methamphetamine and are being remanded for six days from March 18.

The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

-- BERNAMA