Luxury Condo Turned Into Lab For Drug Laced Drinks

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District police chief Soffian Santong (centre) with the drugs that were seized in a luxury condominium apartment in Penang. (Bernama pic)GEORGE TOWN: There was more than high-living going on in a luxury condominium apartment in Lebuh Sungai Pinang when police raided it only to find a processing laboratory, producing drug-laced drinks. They also confiscated an assortment of drugs worth RM77,318.
Northeast district police chief Soffian Santong said the raid at 2.40am was conducted after a 20-year-old man was arrested at the condominium lobby and drugs were seized from him two days ago, after a tip-off.
The suspect led police to the apartment which had been used as a drug processing laboratory. The banned substances were mixed with powdered juice drinks before being repackaged, Soffian told a press conference here today.
Soffian said police also detained a 21-year-old woman, believed to be the girlfriend of the suspect, at the apartment.
“Inspection of the premises found 2.4kg of methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), 338.5gm of ketamine, 576 ecstasy pills and 390 erimin 5 pills as well as various packs of instant fruit juice drinks and energy drinks worth RM77,318,” he said.
Soffian said preliminary investigations showed that both the suspects lived at the apartment, which was rented by the man’s brother, who is now being tracked down by the police.
He said the suspect acted as a runner and would deliver the drugs to buyers at several locations in the state, adding that a syndicate had been using the apartment to process, pack and store banned substances since early January.
“The drug processing work is carried out by another man. Whenever he comes there, the couple will be asked to leave the unit,” he said.
Soffian said that, according to one of the suspects, he has never met the syndicate leader and only received instructions through WeChat. He said he was paid between RM500 and RM800 for each job, and could earn up to RM20,000 a month.
He said each package of drug-laced instant drink is sold at RM180.
During the raid, police also confiscated a car worth RM58,500 and RM1,100 in cash.
The unemployed couple has now been remanded for six days to facilitate investigation. - FMT

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