JOHOR BAHRU — A syndicate has been uncovered operating out of rented luxury apartments, which were converted into both a drug processing centre and a clandestine entertainment hub complete with karaoke rooms for customers.
Johor police chief Datuk M. Kumar said that in a raid at about 6:30 a.m. on June 25, rooms in three apartments of the same block were modified into karaoke lounges for customers to have fun while conveniently buying drug supplies from pushers.
In the raid, police seized drugs including syabu, ecstasy, and ketamine worth RM1.72 million, as well as vehicles, cash, and jewellery worth RM190,205.
“Intelligence gathering began at the beginning of this year. This group is suspected to have been masterminded by locals and became active around March 2025.
“They operated on a small scale, using gated and guarded apartments as locations to store and package drugs,” he told a press conference here today.
He said nine individuals were arrested in the raid, comprising four local men, one local woman, one Singaporean man, two Vietnamese women, and one Laotian woman, aged between 21 and 64.
Initial urine screenings showed all suspects tested positive for methamphetamine. Four of them have previous criminal records related to drugs and other offences, including a 64-year-old Singaporean who is also wanted by authorities in his home country for drug-related crimes.
The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, the Immigration Act 1959/63, and Section 108 of the Road Transport Act 1987, with all suspects now remanded until tomorrow to assist in further investigation. — July 4, 2025