KUALA LUMPUR: POLICE dealt a major blow to a West African drug trafficking syndicate when they arrested a Nigerian man in Menara Hartamas on Friday and seized RM5.6 million worth of heroin and syabu.
The suspect was said to be a key lieutenant in the syndicate, and was responsible for storing drugs and coordinating its activities. The syndicate kingpin and his wife were arrested in Lukut, Negri Sembilan, at 2pm yesterday.
A police source said weeks of surveillance paid off when a team raided the luxury condominium in Menara Hartamas and found 26kg of syabu and 16kg of heroin.
"The heroin seized is of high grade and is believed to have been sourced from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The street price of the heroin is approximately US$30,000 (RM94,800) per kg," the source said.
"The syabu is worth about RM160,000 per kg on the streets and was meant to be distributed locally. Police have yet to ascertain whether the high-grade heroin was meant to be exported or for local consumption."
It is understood that the 31-year-old mastermind had been in Malaysia for some time, and even married a 31-year-old local woman to become a permanent resident. He first came under surveillance early this year.
"Our investigations revealed that the suspect was staying in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, in order to keep a low profile. He constantly issued instructions to his right-hand man (the first suspect) but stayed away from the operations," the source said.
The syndicate had various methods of smuggling drugs into Malaysia and was known to use drug mules from the Philippines, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
"The drug mules were told to take flights to neighbouring countries before entering Malaysia by road and making their way to Kuala Lumpur. This followed tightened security at Malaysian airports."
The 34-year-old suspect arrested in Menara Hartamas used a student visa to enter Malaysia. It is learnt that police were also probing all the suspects' assets and bank accounts.
It is believed that the mastermind owned several property in prime areas here.
Source: http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/drug-boss-wife-and-no-2-nabbed-1.134065
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