GEORGE TOWN, March 1 — Police crippled an international drug syndicate with the arrest of five men and seized 623.76kg syabu worth RM22.46 million in several raids in Penang, Selangor and Johor on Thursday.

Bukit Aman NCID director Datuk Razarudin Husain said the success came about after two corporals from a Motorcycle Patrol Unit (URB) spotted three people transferring goods from a lorry to a car in Jalan Kebun Nanas, Bukit Mertajam, near here, at 2am.

"Two of the three men ran away when the URB went to investigate but the third, a 23-year-old Acehnese was apprehended.

"Upon search, the policemen found 495 packs of syabu in the lorry and another 101 packs in a modified compartment under the lorry’s floorboard,” he told a media conference here, today.

He said the seizure and the arrest of the man led the police to a  luxury condominium in Juru Central where five more packs of syabu were found.

Razarudin said police believed all the drugs were kept at the condominium before they were equally distributed locally and sent to Acheh by sea.

He said the first suspect also led the police to the arrest of three more men in Kulai and Seri Alam, Johor, on the same day before another member of the syndicate was picked up in Sungai Buloh, Selangor.

The syndicate had been active since June last year and the  623.76kg drugs could be used by 3.11 million addicts.

"This is our biggest seizure in five years. We have also identified the two men who escaped. They are Zulfikar, 33, and Hafis Fareza, 21.

"We believe they are still in the country and we have also contacted the Indonesian police to keep a lookout for them,’’ he said.

All five suspects have been remanded for further investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. — Bernama