Four children among 10 arrested in drug syndicate bust

JOHOR BAHRU: The police busted a drug syndicate following the arrest of 10 individuals including four children, and seized a variety of drugs during a raid at a house in Taman Pelangi Indah, here, early yesterday.

Johor deputy police chief Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said those arrested in the 1 am raid comprised three men and three women between the ages of 19 and 34 and two boys and two girls aged six to 12.

He said the police did not rule out the possibility that the children were also used to distribute drugs around the city by the syndicate which was believed to be active for almost a year.

“I cannot rule out the assumption that the children were being used to distribute drugs because the raid was carried out at the house, but the children were bailed yesterday morning.

“We will investigate if they were involved directly or were coincidentally present at the house,” he told a press conference at the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters here yesterday.

Based on checks on their identification cards, it is believed that one of the boys is the son of one of the adults arrested.

Mohd Kamarudin said three of the six suspects detained were found positive for drugs and five of them had drug and criminal records.

He said 504gm of marijuana, 345gm of white powder believed to be drugs, 84gm of syabu and 48 ecstasy pills, estimated to be worth a total of RM11,200 were seized during the raid.

“We also seized one Browning handgun, two magazines, 60 live bullets, as well as four mobile phones and cash worth RM50,000,” he said.

Also seized were a Toyota Vellfire, Mitsubishi ASX, Mitsubishi Triton, three Honda Accords, a Toyota Vios, and Proton Saga, worth a total of RM635,000.

He said the six adult suspects were remanded for six days and were being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, Section 8 of the Firearms Act 1971 and Section 8 (a) of the Firearms Act 1960. - Bernama