Customs Dept uncovers 30kg of meth in tea bags ‘brewing’ under tree in Gelugor

BUTTERWORTH: The Penang Customs Department seized 30 kilogrammes (kg) of methamphetamine worth RM966,976 hidden in Chinese herbal tea packages in a Bukit Gambir housing estate near here on April 4.

Its director, Roselan Ramli said that acting on intelligence carried out, the Penang Customs Narcotics Unit carried out monitoring in the gated and guarded residential area in Gelugor on Penang Island.

“Our team spotted two bags placed under a tree in the residential area at 9.30pm, whereby a quick inspection confirmed our suspicion that they contained drugs.

“We waited in ambush for eight hours monitoring the two bags but no one came to pick them up. We took (the two bags) back to the Penang Customs Narcotics Unit for a thorough inspection,” he told a media conference at the Bagan Jermal Enforcement Store here yesterday.

He said the two bags contained 30 small packages wrapped in “guanyinhwang” green tea packages containing 30 kg of methamphetamine.

He said they were still in the process of tracking down the suspect(s) involved.

“Whether the drug trafficker lives in the residential area is still under investigation and we are trying to determine if the drugs were brought in from abroad and for which market,” he said.

He said police also obtained footage from a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera pointing towards the tree where the drugs were found and the movement of several individuals could be seen.

According to him, the confiscated drugs are sufficient to lace an estimated 150,000 addicts and the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. — Bernama