Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigations Department (NCID) director Mokhtar Mohd Shariff told The Star today that the industry involved some 30 syndicates that smuggled drugs into the country from Nigeria and China.
“These two are no longer the ‘powerhouses’ they once were. Most of these syndicates have since fled to their own countries while some remnants have resorted to setting up bases in neighbouring countries,” he was quoted as saying.
According to him, a total of 482 Iranian drug traffickers and 798 Nigerian syndicate members have been hauled in by the authorities thus far.
Mokhtar said the syndicates from these two countries were connected as it was the Iranians who convinced the Nigerians, who previously recruited local women to act as drug mules carrying cocaine to South American countries, to also dabble in methamphetamine (syabu).
Both syndicates then started bringing in huge hauls of syabu, tonnes at a time, into the country via air cargo and container ships.
Mokhtar said Iranian drug traffickers also had no qualms about flaunting their wealth, including buying luxury apartments costing millions of ringgit in cash.
The Nigerians, who previously smuggled heroin from Afghanistan, also began importing syabu from their home country, as well as China.
Mokhtar said the use of Special Preventive Measures to detain high profile targets forced foreign syndicates to use Malaysians as “partners” rather than just drug mules.
He added that the majority of Nigerians arrested for drug related activities had come into the country as private university students.