JOHOR BARU: Police crippled a drug syndicate selling vape cartridges filled with liquid drugs with the arrests of three people, including a woman, in a series of raids across the district last week.
Police also seized over RM2.8 million worth of drugs in the two-day raids.
The narcotic vape pods were sold for between RM200 and RM300 to the syndicate's regular local clientele.
Johor police chief Datuk M. Kumar said the two men and the woman were arrested during two operations.
The first arrest took place at 6.45pm on Wednesday when a man was detained in a parking lot of an apartment complex, while the other two — believed to be a couple — were arrested in a follow-up raid at 4am the next day.
"The syndicate members used luxury rented apartments as storage and repackaging centres before distributing it locally.
"The illicit operations were believed to have taken off in August but the syndicate members started renting the apartment unit about a week ago," Kumar told reporters at the state police headquarters.
The syndicate's modus operandi included frequently moving to new locations, merely staying at rented apartments for a week to avoid suspicion and to elude police.
During the raids, police seized a large haul of drugs, including 16.345kg of suspected ecstasy powder, ketamine, syabu, 140 Erimin 5 pills, 294 ecstasy pills, cannabis, and 330ml of liquid drugs found in 10 vape cartridges and five vape refill bottles.
The total street value of the drugs seized was estimated to be over RM2.8 million, enough to supply 76,621 drug users.
Police also confiscated a car and RM160, said Kumar.
All three suspects, aged between 27 and 44, tested positive for meth use.
Kumar said police had, on Tuesday, dismantled another, unrelated drug syndicate.
Three suspects, including a woman, aged 17 to 39, were arrested.
Police seized 5.025kg of suspected ecstasy powder, ketamine, and 189ml of liquid ecstasy, worth RM871,068, that could feed the addiction of 26,078 people.
Kumar said the syndicate operated with the same MO, using gated and guarded luxury apartment complexes as their base for drug storage and repackaging.
"They are believed to have been operating since July," he said.
Also seized were two cars and RM1,850.
Urine tests showed that two of the suspects tested positive for methamphetamine, while one tested positive for ketamine.
Only one of the three had a prior drug-related criminal record.
All six suspects from both operations are under a seven-day remand order until Tuesday as investigations continue under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for trafficking.