He said one of the men arrested in the first raid on a workshop in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong was believed to have acted as a transporter for 200 packages of suspected methamphetamine, weighing 212kg, found later in a car.

Hussein said another man was later arrested at a two-storey terrace house in Cheras, where the vape cartridges were found together with 389 packages of suspected drugs weighing 404.12kg and 1,975 aluminium foil packets containing Erimin 5 pills.

He said the drugs seized were worth an estimated RM31.6 million, and could have supplied 3.12 million users.

“The modus operandi of the syndicate, which acted as a supplier, was to leave cars containing the drugs in pre-set locations for pickup by customers, who would then store the drugs.

“The syndicate has been active since early this year, and aimed to have the drugs sold in nightclubs and entertainment centres,” Utusan Malaysia reported him as saying at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters today.

Hussein said the drugs were smuggled in from the north via Kuala Perlis, and that police were looking into possible links with Thai syndicates.

“We believe the syndicate was attempting to market fentanyl to Malaysian users at RM200,000 per kg,” he said.

He said police also seized assets worth RM432,000, including three cars and RM15,000 in cash.

“The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (for drug trafficking), which provides for the death penalty, or 30 years’ imprisonment and no less than 12 strokes of the rotan,” he said.