Police arrested 12 people believed to be drug mules, including a runner, in separate raids at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Sepang, crippling an operation to distribute cannabis buds worth RM33.4 million.
Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said the raids between Aug 28 and Sept 21 resulted in the arrest of a Malaysian man as well as four foreign men and seven foreign women, with 671 packets of cannabis buds weighing 418 kilogrammes (kg) seized.
“These drug mules were promised job opportunities and tourism packages from their countries of origin, and upon arriving here, they were instructed to bring back luggage that clearly did not belong to them, with the drugs hidden inside.
“The local suspect is believed to have acted as a ‘runner’ responsible for supplying drugs to the drug mules. We also believe he has been involved in this criminal activity since early 2026, and all the suspects are from separate syndicates,” he said.
He said this at a media conference on the success of the Selangor Narcotics Crime Investigation Department here today.
Shazeli said the operation also resulted in the seizure of assets worth RM37,700, involving two cars and foreign currencies belonging to the suspects.
“So far, six suspects have been charged under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, while another six suspects are still under investigation.
“Checks revealed that none of the suspects have any prior records in Malaysia. Checks on the travel documents of all the foreign suspects showed that they had entered the country using social visit passes,” he added.
