Russian ‘chemist’ held in drug raid

Police also seize narcotics worth nearly RM7mil from illegal processing labs

KUALA LUMPUR: Just days after one of the biggest drug busts of the year, police scored yet another win when they raided two processing labs in the Klang Valley. This time, they seized narcotics worth about RM6.75mil.

The labs, operated by a syndicate with some “foreign talent”, are believed to be a third of the size of the mega drug lab that was raking in RM1.2bil a year before it was busted in Semenyih on Nov 22.

A team comprising officers from Bukit Aman, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur raided four locations in the Klang Valley on Nov 27, including two bungalows in Petaling Jaya and Ampang Hilir.

A Russian man and six Indian nationals – believed to be responsible for the manufacturing side – were among 10 suspects arrested.

The 31-year-old Russian has been identified as the “chief chemist”, while the other six are thought to be his assistants.

The remaining suspects are Malaysians, with at least one man believed to have worked as a driver for the group, while a 27-year-old woman is thought to be the Russian’s girlfriend.

During the raid, police seized various drugs, including 92.44kg of what is believed to be syabu as well as 32.6kg of powder suspected to be ephedrine, used in the production of methamphetamine.

“The investigation process is still in its early stages and we have yet to ascertain the syndicate leader.

“But what is certain is that the Russian is the main chemist and one of the main members in the syndicate.

“Based on our estimation, the labs could process around 25kg of drugs at a time.

“We have yet to determine if the production cycle is daily, weekly or monthly,” Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigations Department director Comm Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh told reporters at the Wangsa Maju police headquarters yesterday.

Comm Mohmad said according to his passport, the Russian was registered as a worker in Malaysia.

“We have yet to determine in which sector because that information was not in the passport.

“His entry into Malaysia is legal because it (work status) showed that it was valid until 2019,” he added.

The Russian suspect, who has been in the country for the past five years, was previously registered as a student.

The Indian suspects had no papers during the arrest, with sources believing that their passports could have been kept elsewhere.

Police, said Comm Mohmad, believed the Malaysian suspects helped secure and source the various equipment and chemicals, adding that the gang was focused on the local market.

“The drugs seized could have been used by 511,725 addicts,” he said.

Sources close to the investigations said the gang was meticulous in how it operated.

“Even their neighbours did not suspect a thing. They masked the smell from the chemicals and the shipment process was also planned out.

“They would move the drugs to another location before a different driver would take over the shipment.

“The bosses of the gang, the makers of the drugs and the shipment process were all separated,” said Comm Mohmad.

The drugs seized could have been used by 511,725 addicts. Comm Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh