style="text-transform: uppercase;">Lahad Datu: A drug syndicate that used a 'health supplement' box to send RM440,000 worth of drugs has been crippled, the Customs Department said Wednesday. Its Deputy Director (Enforcement) Yunos Tahir said three locals were held, namely an 18-year-old girl and two men aged 60 and 24, at a premises in Kampung Muhibbah in connection with the syndicate.

The arrests came after the department found RM440,000 worth of Ecstasy pills at the Lahad Datu Post Office kept inside a health supplement box labelled 'Lemonet' from Johor Baru to Lahad Datu on Aug 3.

"A total of 9,946 green coloured pills weighing around four kilogrammes, believed to be Ecstasy, were collected.

"They were packed inside the box and concealed further inside 10 smaller boxes, and wrapped in plastic and aluminum foil," he said.

He said the discovery led Customs to stage a raid using the address from the parcel, leading to the arrest of the three suspects.

"We believe the premises in Kampung Muhibbah was also used for processing and packaging drugs," he said.

Several equipment believed used in the drug operation were also seized in the raid.

Yunos said this was the third drug smuggling syndicate the department has smashed, with the previous two cases involving RM814,572 worth of methamphetamine.