Bukit Aman narcotics crime investigation department director Hussein Omar Khan said the raids conducted on Dec 16 led to the arrest of six suspects – three Malaysian men and three foreign women, aged 24 to 39.

He said the first suspect acted as the head storekeeper and assistant to the “chemist”.

Another two suspects were trusted aides of the first suspect, responsible for managing the residential homes and business premises used as illegal drug laboratories, he told a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters today.

Hussein said the syndicate is believed to have been active since April, using residential homes and business premises to process the drugs for the international market.

The seizures included 3kg of MDMA, 4,041kg of cocaine and 14,493kg of ketamine, enough for an estimated 68.5 million users.

Five vehicles, including cars, a forklift and a lorry, valued at a total of RM389,000, were also seized.

“This success is the result of continuous intelligence work by the NCID and cooperation from the public,” he said.

Hussein said the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment, along with a minimum of 12 strokes of the rotan, upon conviction.

He said the suspects have been remanded for seven days from Dec 17, and that the initial drug tests revealed some were positive for ketamine and methamphetamine.