By Christopher Lidom
KUCHING, March 10: Police have seized an enormous stockpile of methamphetamine, locally known as syabu, weighing 35.486kg and with a street value of RM1,260,300 following the arrest of a local man.
According to Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri, the 37-year-old suspect was initially arrested in a parked car at an apartment compound in Jalan Stutong Baru at 1.05pm on March 8.
He said as a result of the initial inspection, police found 12 packs of syabu weighing 12,447 grammes inside the vehicle.
“Later, at 1.30pm, led by the suspect, the police conducted another inspection at his apartment in Jalan Stutong, and found 22 packets weighing 22,676 grammes, including one transparent plastic packet containing crystallised substances weighing 363 grammes believed to be syabu,” he told a press conference at Sarawak Police Contingent headquarters here today.
Mohd Azman said investigations revealed that the suspect is believed to have been involved in drug trafficking since 2021.
“The drugs were brought into Sarawak via courier service from drug syndicates in Peninsular Malaysia and distributed by the suspect to a designated location for the market around Kuching and nearby areas.
“We estimate that the seized drugs can cater to about 177,430 individuals,” he added.
He said background checks revealed that the suspect had two prior records under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and seven records under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
“Drug tests conducted on the suspect came back positive for ketamine and benzo,” he said.
The suspect is currently under remand until March 15 for investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for drug trafficking, which carries the death penalty. — DayakDaily
