Police on hunt for drug kingpin, seal assets worth RM366 mln

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28  -- Police have sealed assets worth RM366 million belonging to a local drug kingpin and are hunting down the suspect, believed to be in hiding in a neighbouring country.

The sealed assets include RM6 million cash, RM21.6 million in bank accounts, RM143 million in company shares, properties worth RM198 million and various vehicles valued at RM2.7 million.

Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said police were working with the neighbouring country’s authorities to arrest the suspect and bring him back to Malaysia.

“If he (drug kingpin) thinks he had bought the assets with ‘halal’ money, he should come back. But, if he fails to return (to Malaysia), we will seize (the assets),” he said at a press conference after launching a corporate video of the Bukit Aman Narcotic Crimes Investigation Department (NCID), here, today.

Abdul Hamid said the suspect probably would have known that his cocaine business, disguised as a coal business, had been smashed in a raid in Penang on Sept 10, last year.

“At the time of the raid,  he (the suspect) was already overseas and we monitored him for more than a month,” he added.

On Sept 10, police busted an international drug smuggling syndicate after seizing 12 tonnes of cocaine mixed with coal worth RM2.4 billion in three containers at the North Butterworth Container Terminal.

The syndicate which had brought in the drugs in 60 sacks of coal from South America was crippled in the ‘Op Eagle’ operation conducted in Butterworth and Bayan Baru in Penang, and Padang Serai, Kedah.

Police also arrested nine men comprising five Myanmar nationals, two Chinese nationals and two local men believed to have links with the drug kingpin, in another raid dubbed ‘Op Eagle Diamond’, at a warehouse in the Prai Industrial Estate, Seberang Prai, Penang on Jan 16.

Abdul Hamid said police also seized 4.98 kg of syabu and 114.6 kg of chemicals, as well as drug processing equipment, worth RM250,000.

“All the suspects, aged between 33 and 51 years, have no past criminal records and are being  investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. Their seven-day remand order which expired on Jan 22, has been extended until Thursday (Jan 30)," he said.

In another development, NCID director Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd said police had held discussions with courier service companies to gain their cooperation in dealing with the drug trafficking issue. 

“I met with them and as a result, the companies represented at the meeting, agreed to cooperate with the police. They understand that drug dealers use courier services as one of their modus operandi to distribute drugs,” he added.

-- BERNAMA