Syndicate busted with arrest of seven, seizure of drugs worth RM1.04 mln in Johor

He said the suspects, comprising five men and two women aged 22 to 56, were rounded up in the raids conducted between 3 pm and 11 pm on Saturday.

In the raids, police seized 3.02 kilogrammes (kg) of ecstasy powder valued at RM151,050 and 17.70 kg of "magic mushroom" drugs worth RM885,100.

"Police also confiscated three vehicles worth RM113,800 and cash of RM21,850, bringing to about RM1.71 million the total amount of drugs and assets seized in these operations.

"The syndicate has been operating since November 2021 and its modus operandi was to send drugs by courier service to its markets in peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak," he told reporters here today.

Kamarul Zaman said two of the suspects tested positive for methamphetamine while the rest had criminal records, including for drug offences.

All the suspects have been remanded for seven days from Feb 6 to 12 for investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

In an unrelated case, Kamarul Zaman said police arrested seven individuals under "Op Bugil" on Jan 16 and smashed a syndicate using obscene videos to blackmail their victims.

The suspects, aged between 25 and 54, were picked up in six raids conducted in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Johor, he added.

They comprised three Malaysian men and one local woman, and a man and two women from Indonesia who were account holders found in possession of bank cards belonging to others, he said.

Kamarul Zaman said the syndicate baited its victims, usually men aged between 20s and 40s, to make video calls via the MiChat, WeChat and WhatsApp applications.

"The victims would be tricked into stripping naked to perform obscene acts which would be recorded by the syndicate members.

"The syndicate would then use these recordings to extort money from its victims, and if they failed to pay up, the videos would be made viral on social media," he said.

Police believe with the arrests they can solve 25 blackmailing cases under Section 384 of the Penal Code.

Since January 2021, police had received 368 reports involving losses of RM485,013 in connection with blackmailing using obscene videos, he added.