New: Syndicates Target Cash-Strapped Malaysians as Drug Mules, Police Say

International drug smuggling rings are recruiting Malaysians with financial problems, especially from Sarawak and Pahang, to act as drug mules, police said on Friday (Nov 6).

Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan told a media conference in Kuala Lumpur that four suspects linked to one such syndicate were arrested at a homestay in Brickfields on Thursday (Nov 5), Bernama reported.

Four held in Brickfields syndicates raid

Three of the suspects are locals who allegedly acted as recruiters, while the fourth, a man holding a Hong Kong passport, is believed to have supplied the drugs, Hussein said.

Police also seized 450 grams of cocaine and two pairs of shoes believed to have been meant for two drug mules.

The local men were arrested under the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985, he said. The suspects’ names and ages were not disclosed.

Drug mules held in Jakarta and Tokyo

Hussein said the syndicate was linked to the recruitment of five Malaysians arrested at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta and five others arrested at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo in September and October.

Separate cannabis seizure in Selangor

In a separate case, police arrested a man in Selangor on Oct 30 and seized 109.17kg of cannabis, two cars, a motorcycle and various pieces of jewellery.

The man, who tested positive for drugs and has three previous criminal records, has been remanded until Nov 12 under Section 38B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, Hussein said.

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