Nigerian drug gangs abandon mules for cargo

Malaysia narcotic agents said drug gangs, including those from Nigeria no longer favour trafficking drugs with mules. They have opted for more creative ways by concealing  the illicit products inside cargo.

Bukit Aman Narcotic Crime Investigation (NCID) Department deputy director and Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Dzuraidi Ibrahim said of all the cases detected this year, only one involved a drug mule smuggling drugs. The rest were found in cargoes.

Dzuraidi said police recently crippled two attempts by a Nigerian-led syndicate to smuggle drugs into the country.

“The drugs, which were believed to have been brought in from China, were hidden in laptop adapters and water filters,” he said.

He added that the Bukit Aman NCID and Special Tactical Intelligence Narcotics Group (STING) team conducted two raids at Taman Usahawan Kepong and caught two Nigerian men and a 30-year-old woman from Uganda on March 25.

“When we arrested the two men, we found 13.2kg of syabu hidden in water filters.
“When we raided the suspect’s house, we found the woman,” he said, adding that the three suspects did not have any documents.

Syabu is the local name for methamphetamine. The 13.2kg of methamphetamine seized was worth RM2 million, about $509,000.

DCP Mohd Dzuraidi said three days later they arrested a 33-year-old local woman in Tasik Perdana Industrial Area, Puchong, and seized 928g of methamphetamine hidden in laptop computer adapters.
“The drugs were in her car when we arrested her.

“We then raided a premises in Taman Serdang Perdana, Seri Kembangan, and arrested a Nigerian man and a Ugandan woman aged 34 and 36,” he said, adding that all six suspects were believed to be from the same syndicate.

Between Jan 1 and March 24 this year, 5,012 suspected drug suppliers were arrested.
Dzuraidi further disclosed; “We also arrested 11,093 for possession while 33,350 people tested positive for drug abuse,”

“We also seized RM58.37mil of drugs, including 1.5 tons of ganja, 233.1kg of syabu, 72.5kg of heroin, 31.4kg of ketamin, 596,153 Yaba pills, 542,463 Erimin 5 pills and 89,313 ecstasy pills,” he told reporters at Bukit Aman yesterday.
Source: www.thestar.com