He added that, acting on information and intelligence gathered over the past two weeks, police arrested the 38-year-old man at the Jalan Changkat Sungai Ara junction near here at 5.30pm.
He said police suspect the man was involved in drug processing and distribution, adding that he was detained in a Honda HRV car, although an initial search found no drugs with him.
“Police then raided a three-storey terrace house in a luxury residential area in Taman Hijauan Setia, Sungai Ara, and found that the residence was being used as a heroin processing lab,” he said in a press conference at the Penang police headquarters today.
During a search of the house, he said, police seized 42 packs of heroin weighing 13.8kg, 376g of heroin base, 93.9kg of caffeine, as well as chemicals and various types of equipment used to process drugs.
Khaw said that on Saturday, based on interrogation of the suspect, police raided an apartment in Batu Uban here, which was used to store various types of drugs.
He said the search uncovered 45 packs of methamphetamine weighing 46.2kg, 91 compressed blocks of heroin base weighing 33.8kg, 24.1kg of caffeine, eight bottles of liquid suspected to be chemicals for processing drugs, six different types of pistols, and 100 bullets stored in a black bag in a closet.
Khaw said police believe the suspect employed people to help process and distribute the drugs, and that officers were working to track them down.
He said the suspect bought his supplies from neighbouring countries and is believed to have learnt how to process drugs from a friend in Kuala Lumpur through WhatsApp and phone calls, after which he sold the drugs across the northern states and the Klang Valley.
Khaw said the suspect had been in business since January. Following the man’s arrest, police also seized various assets worth RM424,000, including a Honda HRV, Perodua Myvi, Toyota Alphard, Volkswagen Arteon, and two motorcycles.
“He also has a terrace house in Rawang, Selangor, and a condominium registered under his wife’s name, each valued at RM550,000.
“Based on the investigation, his wife was unaware of his illegal activities,” Khaw said, adding that the total value of the drug seizure and asset confiscation was estimated at RM5.03 million.
He said the man had been remanded until June 1 for further investigation, and the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.