KUCHING: Sarawak police dealt a significant blow to a suspected drug trafficking syndicate after seizing drugs worth over half a million ringgit and arresting 14 local suspects.
The raids were carried out by the state Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) on Tuesday (June 30) at separate houses along Jalan Datuk Abang Abdul Rahim and Lorong Setia Raja.
In the first raid, officers arrested 12 men and two women, aged between 24 and 48, after discovering about 95 grammes (g) of crystalline substances believed to be methamphetamine.
The drugs were found inside a blue plastic container labelled ‘Vanilla’, and are estimated to be worth RM10,487.
Police then expanded their operations based on information provided by one of the female suspects, leading officers to a second house where they uncovered a large cache of suspected cannabis vape cartridges.
A search of the premises resulted in the seizure of 1,192 black vape cartridges containing liquid believed to be cannabis extract.
Packed in plastic bags labelled ‘Mango’, ‘Strawberry’, ‘Lychee’ and ‘Grape’, the cartridges weighed around 2,980g and were valued at RM531,113.
Kuching Police Chief, ACP Alexson Naga Chabu, said the combined value of drugs seized in both raids is estimated at RM541,600.
“Initial urine screening found 13 of the suspects positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine, while one female suspect tested negative.
“Background checks found that 12 of them had prior records for offences under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, while two male suspects had no prior records,” he said.
All suspects have been remanded to assist investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, an offence punishable by death or life imprisonment, along with up to 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction.
Those who tested positive for drugs are also being investigated under Section 15(1)(a) of the same Act.
Alexson said the success of the operations was the result of continuous intelligence gathering and cooperation from the public, adding that they would continue to take a tough stance against anyone involved in drug trafficking or abuse.
Members of the public with information on drug-related activities are urged to report them to Bukit Aman NCID at 012-2087222 or Sarawak NCID at 017-5929211.
