The CCTV set that was used as a decoy to hide the drugs.
The syabu, which is Sabah police’s biggest seizure this year.
Hamza
West Malaysian man caught repackaging 3.8kg of methamphetamine worth RM1 million
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah police crippled an international-linked drug syndicate with the arrest of a man who was caught red-handed repackaging 3.8 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, worth nearly RM1 million, on Thursday.
The suspect, a West Malaysian in his 40s, was arrested in the 10.20am raid by the police at one of the Beverly Hills Apartments in Penampang following a tip-off.
Disclosing this yesterday, State Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said the police team found a red plastic bag containing a crystal-like substance, believed to be syabu, weighing 232.04 grammes, in one of the rooms.
They also found two sets of closed-circuit television (CCTV) with its inside compartments removed and a big box containing 18 boxes of CCTV sets in the second room.
“Further investigation revealed that each of the CCTV box contains similar crystal-like substances, believed to be syabu, each weighing about 200 grammes.
“The suspect was arrested and brought to the Penampang police station by the six-member raiding team led by ASP Tium Ming Kung for further questioning. They also seized 3.8kg of drugs worth about RM912,000,” he told reporters at the Kepayan police headquarters here yesterday.
He added that the suspect, who is a drug trafficker, also tested positive for syabu.
“We have classified the case under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death sentence by hanging, if found guilty.”
Hamza said through their investigation, they found that the drugs were imported via courier service from a country within the region, and it was meant for local consumptions, as well as for distribution to outside Sabah.
“The suspect was recruited by an international drug syndicate to accept the drugs here. All costs, including his ‘salary’, as well as hotels and air fares, are borne by the syndicate. He has no previous convictions,” he said.
Hamza added that using CCTV sets as a decoy is just one of the many modus operandis used by drug traffickers to evade arrest.
Describing this as the State’s biggest seizure for this year, Hamza said that between Jan 1 and Oct 17 this year, a total of 13 people had been arrested under the Special Preventive Measures Act, traffickers (378 people) and addicts (9,503 people).
During the same period, a total of 84,916.46 grammes of syabu have been seized, cannabis (696.29 grammes), Ketamine (244.39 grammes), Ecstasy (107 pills) and Eramin 5 (159 pills).
“I would like to record my gratitude to the public for the collaboration in providing tip-offs to help us eradicate drug abuse in the state. We will double our efforts to contain the activity from expanding, no matter what tactics they use, including close monitoring at all entry and exit points,” said Hamza.