Malaysian drug kingpin worth RM190m, says Bukit Aman

Bukit Aman narcotics CID director Kamarudin Din said the Malaysian drug kingpin held in Thailand had been arrested previously in Malaysia. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The assets of the Malaysian drug kingpin recently arrested in Laos is estimated at around RM190 million, according to Bukit Aman narcotics CID director Kamarudin Din.

He said that the 41-year-old man from Perak had previously been arrested under the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985 and the asset value is based on preliminary seizures during his previous detention.

“If I’m not mistaken, the value of the assets when we (the police) seized them was around RM190 million initially. Some we confiscated and some we returned,” he said at a media briefing at the Perlis police headquarters here today, Bernama reported.

Previously, police in Thailand had estimated the suspect’s wealth to be much higher.

“Malaysian police are interrogating him in Bangkok to gather information that could lead to the seizure of his assets in Malaysia worth 4 billion baht (about RM530 million),” secretary-general of the Thai narcotics control board (OCNB), Lt Gen Phanurat Lukboon, had said.

The man from Parit Buntar, Perak, was arrested on Dec 28, in Vientiane, Laos. He was deported to Thailand last week.

Phanurat said the man will face prosecution in Thailand for drug trafficking.

He said that with the arrest, export of crystal methamphetamine to Australia, Taiwan and Malaysia was expected to drop by more than 40%.

“He is a suspect in 11 cases in Thailand, Taiwan and Malaysia, going back to 2018. He is the mastermind of a drugs operation in the Golden Triangle.”

He said ONCB and partner agencies had seized the suspect’s extensive assets in Thailand, including a plot of land with a building in Bangkok, two condominiums in Trat, three yachts in Chiang Rai, and two cars, three motorcycles, firearms, cash, savings in 10 banks, and other valuables in Chon Buri, with a total value exceeding 85 million baht (about RM11.27 million).

The suspect is also believed to be associated with a drug network in Malaysia, trafficked from the Golden Triangle since 2006. He operated across Thailand, Malaysia, China, Singapore and Laos, working with other drug networks.

Police believe he also used Thailand to launder money and as a transit point for smuggling drugs.

The investigators zeroed in on the suspect following a major drug bust in June last year, when 998kg of crystal methamphetamine was seized and seven people in Ratchaburi province were arrested.