PUBLISHED ONMay 21, 2026 8:35 AMBYEriko LimMalaysia police have busted three drug trafficking syndicates in a series of coordinated raids across Johor Bahru and Batu Pahat, leading to the arrest of 10 individuals, including a Singaporean man.
The three operations, carried out between May 11 and 14, resulted in the seizure of drugs worth approximately RM4.36 million (S$1.4 million), along with various assets believed to be linked to the syndicates.
In a press conference on Monday (May 18), acting Johor Police Chief Hoo Chuan Huat said those detained comprised three local men, two local women, a Singaporean man, three Vietnamese women and a Thai woman, aged between 24 and 54, Bernama reported.
The syndicates, he pointed out, are believed to have been operating since January, using gated condominiums and terrace houses as storage and repackaging centres before distributing the drugs to the local market.
In the first raid in Johor Bahru, police arrested a local couple and five foreign suspects, seizing 19.06kg of drugs and 9.01 litres of liquid drugs valued at about RM1.47 million.
"Several assets, including seven bracelets valued at RM23,975, two luxury watches worth RM40,000 and two vehicles were also seized," Hoo was quoted as saying.
Urine tests also found three suspects positive for methamphetamine and two positives for ketamine but only one suspect had a criminal record, reported The New Straits Times.
In a separate operation in Batu Pahat, a local man believed to be a storekeeper for the syndicate was detained.
Police confiscated about 9.48kg of drugs and 0.102 litres of liquid drugs worth RM1.15 million, along with two vehicles and cash. The suspect was also tested positive for ketamine.
In the third raid in Johor Bahru, officers arrested a suspected drug dealer and a female accomplice, seizing 13.07kg of drugs worth RM1.73 million, as well as three vehicles and other valuables.
Hoo said one suspect tested positive for ketamine while another had a prior criminal record.
The police said investigations are ongoing.
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