KULAI, Sept 24 — The authorities have crippled a drug-processing syndicate in Senai after a fire at a technology goods factory in the Senai Industrial Park last Sunday (September 14) led to the discovery of a drug lab.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving an emergency call at 4.35pm, while a police patrol team suspected the premises were used for drug processing.
“The Bukit Aman NCID, together with the Johor police contingent headquarters and Kulai district police headquarters, conducted further checks and confirmed the premises had been turned into a laboratory for processing Erimin 5.
“Police found a metal tray with 14 plastic containers containing 75kg of powder suspected to be Erimin 5 and a box with three plastic containers containing Erimin 5 pills (24.69kg),” he said during a press conference today.
Also found were three metal trays containing 16 packets and two boxes of chemical powder (79.01kg), 11 drums filled with liquid chemicals (1.8 metric tonnes), and various drug-processing equipment.
Hussein added that a follow-up raid at a house in Seri Alam led to the arrest of a 41-year-old man, believed to be the syndicate’s “transporter” for consignments disguised in wooden blocks.
The police later raided another factory in Desa Idaman, Senai, about one kilometre from the fire site, which was used to store chemicals.
“Among the items seized were 250kg of methamphetamine liquid, 20kg of ketamine, and 1.7 metric tonnes of precursor powder,” he said. The total seizure amounted to 4.03 metric tonnes of drugs worth RM17.77 million, the largest haul so far this year.
The police are now hunting three suspects believed to be the syndicate’s masterminds.
“The syndicate is believed to have been active since early February, and investigations revealed the two factories had been rented for the past two years.
"The drugs were processed on a commercial scale using machines capable of producing up to 100,000 Erimin 5 tablets per cycle,” Hussein said.
The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
