Police bust prison drug ring
Five held in two raids in Johor
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have arrested five members of a syndicate believed to have been supplying drugs to inmates at the Simpang Renggam prison in Johor, says Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun.
The Inspector-General of Police said the suspects were arrested by a joint team from the state and federal Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) in two raids in the state on Saturday.
“Drugs worth RM814,000 were seized along with two cars and three motorcycles,” he told reporters in Bukit Aman yesterday.
Bukit Aman NCID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh, who was also present, said the arrests were made following investigations into an ongoing case.
“Last year, police had already arrested four syndicate members. I believe that a prison warden was working as an inside man for the syndicate.
“Investigations showed that the drugs were smuggled in via the inmates,” he said.
Mohamad Fuzi said police were working
closely with the Prisons Department on the matter.
All five suspects have been remanded until Jan 19.
In a separate case, Mohamad Fuzi said police seized 569.5kg of drugs thought to be syabu from a container lorry en route to the Penang harbour on Saturday.
The lorry was searched at a rest stop in Taiping, Perak, and a suspect in his 40s was arrested.
“Two more syndicate members were arrested on the same day in separate locations in Perak.
“The value of the drugs is estimated at RM28.47mil. All three suspects have been remanded until Jan 19,” he said.
Mohamad Fuzi said NCID seized 96,477.68kg of drugs in 2018.
It was the biggest haul by the department in its 22 years of existence.