BELURAN: Police foiled an attempt by two suspects to smuggle 4.972kg of syabu worth RM130,304 from Tawau to Sarawak after the General Operations Force stopped a car for inspection at the Sapi Nangoh Road Checkpoint, here, on Friday (June 14).
Beluran District Police Chief Supt Hasan Majid said during the 11am incident, one of the two suspects, aged 43, was detained while the driver of the Proton Saga with registration number SYR7763 managed to escape by speeding off during inspection.
He said during the inspection on the car’s bonnet witnessed by one of the suspects (front passenger), a black plastic bag was found in the tyre compartment.
“After the plastic bag was removed from the car, the second suspect (driver) sped away towards the Telupid-Ranau route,” he told a press conference at the Beluran District Police Headquarters, here, Tuesday.
Further scrutiny of the black plastic bag showed an orange plastic bag inside which contained four red plastic packages, each with smaller packets containing syabu.
The first suspect was apprehended and the seized substances were taken for further examination.
Hasan said preliminary investigations showed the first suspect was a 43-year-old local with prior drug-related crimes, adding the suspect’s urine tested positive for drugs.
The suspect has been remanded for seven days for further investigations.
The search for the second suspect, Justin Vau Langat, 27, of Long Nahan, Baram, Sarawak, is underway.
The second suspect is on the wanted list of Nilai Police Headquarters, Negeri Sembilan, for drug offences.
Those with information on the man’s whereabouts can contact Beluran police investigating officer Insp. Mohd Solahuddin Mohamad at Mohd Solahuddin Mohamad at 0199810144 or the Beluran Police Headquarters at 089511222 or any nearest police station.
Hasan said distributing, possessing or being involved in substance abuse is a criminal offence that carries heavy penalties upon conviction.
He encourages collaboration and information from all sectors of society to tackle drug-related activities.
In another case, Hasan said two fights resulting in serious injuries were reported in Beluran this month.
He said the first occurred at a plantation in Sugut on June 8, and the second occurred at a plantation in Telupid on June 14. Both involved fights among Indonesian workers.
He said the causes of both occurrences were essentially the same, arising from misunderstandings among them.
