KUANTAN, Feb 9 — Pahang police have crippled a drug distribution syndicate, which is believed to be active in the Klang Valley, after arresting a man with 32.693 kilogrammes of syabu worth RM1.47 million on Saturday.

Pahang Police chief Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan said the 40-year-old suspect was detained at 4.45pm at a roadblock at Kilometre (km) 7, Kuala Lipis, about 243km from here, by a team from the Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department.

“We believe the syndicate started distributing drugs three months ago. The unemployed suspect is believed to be on his way to Kuala Lumpur after collecting the supply from an east coast state.

“The drugs were found in 31 Chinese tea packets in four bags in the baggage compartment of a Perodua Bezza vehicle,” he told a media conference at the Pahang Police Contingent Headquarters here, today.

Preliminary investigations found that the suspect, who is from Kelantan, had four drug-related and five criminal records, and also tested positive for drugs.

The suspect has been remanded for seven days from Sunday and further investigations are being conducted under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act, which provides for a mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

In a separate case, Pahang Deputy Police chief Datuk Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said police nabbed four local men, aged from 22 to 39, on suspicion of stealing electricity for illegal bitcoin mining.

He said the suspects were detained in raids at two business premises in Jalan Gambang here by the Anti-Vice, Gambling and Secret Societies Division (D7) and the Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) Special Engagement Against Losses (SEAL) Unit today at 11.15am.

“The suspect had made illegal electrical connections, causing TNB to lose about RM80,000 monthly since they started operating three months ago. We also seized 159 bitcoin machines,” he told reporters at the location here.

Further investigations are being conducted under Section 379 of the Penal Code for power theft, which provides for a maximum seven-year jail with fine or both, and Section 427 of the same Code for mischief, which provides for jail up to five years or fine or both upon conviction, he added. — Bernama