The press conference to give information about the crackdown on the record 1.2 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine (Photo: Reuters) Kuala Lumpur (VNA) -Malaysian authorities said on May 28 that they have seized a record 1.2 tonnesof crystal methamphetamine that was hidden in tea packets and shipped from Myanmar.
Malaysian Customs Director-GeneralSubromaniam Tholasy told reporters that a total of 1,187 kg of the drug, worth71 million ringgit (18 million USD), was shipped in a container from Yangon,Myanmar, to Port Klang, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
The shipment, seized on May 22, hadbeen declared “foodstuff” and was bound for a Malaysian trading company basedin a Kuala Lumpur suburb, he said.
Customs officers displayed theshipment, packed in golden yellow tea packets, at its narcotics operationsheadquarters in Nilai, near Kuala Lumpur.
“This is the biggest seizure seen inour history in terms of value and weight,” he said.
Six people, including three Myanmarnationals and three Malaysians, were arrested following the operation, he stated.
“We are still investigating, but webelieve the syndicate involved has links with syndicates in Myanmar,”Subromaniam said, adding that officers also seized a small amount of heroin andabout 1 million contraband cigarettes.
The seizure was made when themethamphetamine market has expanded at an alarming rate in Asia, especiallySoutheast Asia, with Indonesia and Thailand also reporting the seizures oflarge amounts of drugs this year.
Crystal methamphetamine is a form ofmethamphetamine, a highly addictive synthetic drug also known as speed, shabuand yaba.
According to a report of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, methamphetaminerepresents the greatest global health threat.-VNA
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