BALIK PULAU: Police uncovered a heroin processing lab after arresting a married couple and seizing various types of drugs worth RM81,330 in two raids in Gelugor and Bayan Lepas here on Tuesday (Oct 11).

Northeast District Police chief ACP Soffian Santong said that based on the information gathered and intelligence carried out, police arrested the man, who slaughters chicken at a market in Balik Pulau, and his wife while they were on a motorcycle by the roadside in Gelugor at 8.30 pm and seized 1,810 grammes (g) of heroin.

"Following the arrest of the 43-year-old man and his 30-year-old Thai wife, police raided a house in Kampung Bukit, Bayan Lepas at 10.30 pm and uncovered an illegal heroin processing laboratory there.

"In the raid on the house rented by the couple, police seized caffeine powder weighing 14,880g, heroin (2,720g), Yaba pills (309.54g) and several equipment and chemicals believed to be used for processing heroin, including two ovens," he told a press conference here today.

Soffian said that based on preliminary investigation, the couple may have learned to cook the heroin from the network of drug trafficking syndicates and police are actively tracking the syndicates which supplied the raw materials to them.

Soffian said investigations also found that the heroin produced by the couple was in high demand among buyers because it had "more kick" as they added the Yaba pills.

He said police found that the couple had been actively carrying out their heroin processing activity since early January and they also distributed the drugs themselves to buyers in the state.

"The value of all the drugs seized in the two raids amounted to RM81,330 and we believe that the drugs produced could be used by 24,197 addicts," he said, adding that police also seized a car worth RM27,000 from the couple.

He said the man, who tested positive for drugs, had a criminal record while his wife was unemployed, adding that they have been remanded until Oct 17 to assist in investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

He also said that from January until Sept 20, the Northeast Narcotics Crime Investigation Division had arrested a total of 2,291 individuals involved in drug-related cases, with the most number of arrests involving drug possession, with 1,037 suspects.

-- BERNAMA