JOHOR BARU: The arrest of a lorry driver led the police to the discovery of a large ketum-processing syndicate headed by a former civil servant, which has raked in millions of ringgit since 2017.
Outgoing Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the police had flagged down a lorry ferrying fruits from a northern state during an operation at the Simpang Renggam rest area along the North-South Expressway at around 8.30pm last Tuesday.
“Police detained the 42-year-old driver after he tested positive for drugs and upon checks on the vehicle, we found 700kg of ketum leaves concealed behind a consignment of fruits,” he added.
Comm Ayob, who is set to assume duties as the new Bukit Aman Narcotic Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director next month, said this at a press conference held at the state police headquarters here yesterday.
He added that following the first arrest, police launched two raids around here between 2.45am and 6am on Dec 22 and detained four more suspects, including a married couple, between the ages of 19 and 36.
Comm Ayob said police also seized ketum leaves, ketum water and tools used to process the drug, adding that three of the suspects also tested positive for drugs and have prior records.
“One of the suspects that we arrested is the mastermind and is a former civil servant, who was kicked out of a government agency in 2014 for disciplinary problems.
“We also arrested his wife who works as an accountant for the syndicate,” he said.
Also arrested on Sunday were eight civil servants aged between 25 and 36 to assist with the investigation, he added.
Comm Ayob said the syndicate had been renting a factory in Kempas as part of its operation to process and package the ketum before selling it around here.
“The syndicate received its supply of ketum from up north of the country where ketum drinks have become popular lately due to the high price and huge demand for it,” he said.
He said that the current market value for ketum leaves is between RM35 and RM80 per kg while a 1.5-litre bottle of ketum drink costs between RM13 and RM25.
“This syndicate has netted between RM120,000 and RM200,000 of profits per month since it first started operations in early 2017.”
Comm Ayob said the police also seized 75.5kg of ketum leaves worth RM755 and 90 litres of ketum water worth RM900, which could supply 110 addicts.
The suspects are being investigated under Section 30(3) of the Poisons Act, which carries a fine of up to RM10,000 or a maximum four-year jail or both upon conviction.