Police sieze syabu worth RM1mil in Semporna

In Semporna, police stopped three men from smuggling over 20kg of drugs, believed to be Syabu and worth around RM1 million, to a neighbouring country. The arrest took place on January 3 at the Semporna public jetty.

Semporna district police chief Supt Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah stated that two local men and one foreigner, aged 36 to 38, were apprehended by a team from the Bum Bum police station and the Semporna Narcotics Crime Investigation Division (NCID), who had been keeping an eye on the jetty at 6:30am.

“As the three men approached the public jetty on a boat, one of them disembarked and then returned carrying two bags. However, upon noticing the presence of the police, one suspect swam away, while others attempted to flee on the boat and on foot, but were eventually captured,” he said during a press conference on Thursday (Jan 11).

Mohd Farhan revealed that the inspection of the bags led to the discovery of 20 black plastic packages containing compressed lumps of clear crystal suspected to be Syabu, with a total weight of 20227.42 grams. It was believed that the drug was intended for distribution in the neighbouring country.

He further added that the suspects had chosen the public jetty early in the morning, in the hope that the busy location, with many tourists and locals, would help them evade detection. Nevertheless, thanks to information from the public, all the suspects were apprehended. Furthermore, all the suspects tested positive for Syabu,” he added.

To report information about the case, Mohd Farhan recommended contacting 089-782 020 or the investigating officer Insp Adzilee Suili at 014-866 5087.

He also clarified that the investigation did not show any link between the suspects and the largest syabu drug syndicate in Sabah, as disclosed by Deputy Inspector General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay recently. – Bernama