By JAMES LEONG
SEMPORNA: Sabah police have dealt a major blow to a cross-border drug syndicate with two separate operations that netted 329.236 kilogrammes of syabu valued at approximately RM18 million.
In the first operation on July 13, a husband and wife were arrested after a joint Semporna and Kunak police team raided an oil palm plantation in Semporna around 4.00 am, seizing 254.35kg of syabu packed in 24 suitcases.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun revealed that the drugs, which could serve up to 726,714 individual doses, are believed to have entered Sabah through the Sipitang border crossing and linked to the Golden Triangle region involving Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos.
In a separate operation on July 12 in Tawau, police intercepted a vehicle on Jalan Tun Hamdan around 10.30 pm, discovering 74.886kg of syabu hidden in four bags, including three golf bags and one black bag.
Four individuals—two men and two women aged 24 to 40, comprising two locals and two foreigners—were arrested in the Tawau operation. All suspects tested negative for drugs and had no prior criminal records.
Police are now hunting for one additional individual linked to the Semporna case, with investigations ongoing to determine the syndicate’s full network and intended transnational trafficking routes.
Commissioner Jauteh confirmed that Sabah’s Narcotics Crime Investigation Department has launched 12 “Op Bayu” operations since January, seizing nearly four tonnes of drugs, with suspects from earlier operations already charged in court.
Police are urging public cooperation in providing information on drug trafficking activities as authorities continue collaborating with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department and the National Anti-Drug Agency to curb drug entry into Sabah.
Jauteh (centre), and his officers show the seized syabu during the press conference at Semporna District Police Headquarters yesterday.
