Khalid said the number of syndicates busted in 2025 was an increase from 2024, when 236 rings were dismantled and 714 people were arrested.

He also said police confiscated drugs estimated to be worth about RM3.19 billion, an eight-fold increase compared with the seizures made in 2024 which were said to be worth RM388 million.

“We also succeeded in uncovering 21 illegal drug laboratories last year, an increase from the 12 that were busted in 2024,” he said at a Bukit Aman narcotics crime investigation department assembly.

“This increase in arrests and drug seizures not only reflects increasingly aggressive drug distribution activities but also the narcotics department’s effectiveness in curbing the spread of drugs,” Khalid added.

The nation’s top cop said the department also seized RM144 million in assets linked to these syndicates, adding that RM31 million of these assets had been forfeited.

Khalid also said the number of arrests for drug abuse had decreased from 1,111 in 2024 to 811 last year, a 27% reduction.

He said this decrease reflected the department’s success in reducing cases of drug abuse by going for the syndicates.