Sabah Customs seize 52kg of drugs worth RM1.88 million

KOTA KINABALU - The Sabah Customs department raided a house in Kota Kinabalu on July 28, and seized 52.46 kilograms of Methamphetamine worth RM1.88 million.

Sabah Customs director-general Datuk Zazuli Johan said the raid was carried out at 12.12pm after almost two months of investigations and surveillance in the area after receiving information from the public.

During the raid, the biggest in Sabah this year, a 37-year-old jobless man was detained to assist in investigations.

Zazuli said the drugs were found hidden in plastic 'tea bags' that were stuffed inside electrical items to avoid being detected by the authorities.

"The Modus operandi was to carry out the packaging process in the house using air-tight packing material. The drugs are later placed inside electrical items and packed in boxes to fool the authorities,” he told reporters at Menara Kastam here today.

Zazuli said the drugs were meant for consumption within the state as well as for distribution outside the state.

He added that investigations would be carried out to determine if there were syndicates involved and believed more suspects would be detained to assist in investigations.

"We are investigating if there are any contact persons from the mainland, involved in the activity. We also want to find out how long such activities were being carried out,” he said. The case is now being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

Zazuli also advised members of the public to avoid being involved in drug-related activities or drug trafficking and called on anyone with information to contact the nearest Customs office or call the toll free number at 1-800-88-8855. - BERNAMA