Bukit Aman narcotics criminal investigation department (NCID) acting director Mat Zani @ Salahuddin Che Ali said they also seized drugs worth RM3.29 million during a raid on a condominium in Brickfields, Bernama reported.
He said in the raid at 10.30pm, police found 20 five-litre plastic containers (jelly cans) and six 0.5-litre plastic bottles containing amphetamine vape liquid.
In addition, police also found various types of equipment for processing drug-laced vape liquid, such as a mixer, heating machine, weighing scale, sealing machine, three glass beakers, one plastic funnel, and 95 empty cartridges believed to be for filling the drug-laced vape liquid.
“Initial technical analysis found that this syndicate is believed to be processing vape liquid containing amphetamine (fluoroamphetamine, paramethoxyamphetamine) which has psychoactive and toxic effects similar to the drug ecstasy on its users.
“The adverse effects of consumption include seizures, liver failure, extreme body temperature, psychosis, brain damage, emotional disturbances, extreme addiction, and even sudden death due to heart attack or respiratory failure,” he was quoted as saying during a press conference at the federal police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.
Salahuddin said both suspects, aged 30 and 35, served as chemists and obtained the ingredients for the drug from China.
He said that to ensure their drug-laced vape liquid processing activities were not detected, the syndicate used condominiums with complete security to process and package the illicit substances.
“This premise was rented at RM4,100 per month, and it is believed that they change processing locations every three months, bringing in chemists from Taiwan and recruiting local workers to mislead the authorities.
“Both suspects also played a role in guarding the vape liquid processing site and delivering the drugs to customers. They entered our country using a social visit pass and had entered the country twice, at the beginning of this year and early this month,” he said.
He stated that the amphetamine drug-laced vape liquid was sold to the local market at RM180 per cartridge and internationally at around RM400 per cartridge.
Salahuddin said urine screening tests found both suspects negative for drugs but they were found to have a criminal record in their home country.
“We have checked the criminal records of both suspects through our cooperation with Taiwan’s ministry of justice investigation bureau and criminal investigation bureau to trace their past records and assist in the full investigation of this case.
“The results revealed that the first suspect had previously driven under the influence of alcohol and drugs, while the second suspect has a criminal record involving various cases, including murder, drug trafficking, and firearms,” he said, according to Bernama.
The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Salahuddin said action is also being taken under the Dangerous Drugs (Forfeiture of Property) Act 1988, with the seizure of a Honda AFS125 motorcycle belonging to the first suspect, valued at RM7,000.