A 64-year-old Singaporean man was arrested in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 10 on suspicion of leading a drug syndicate, The Star reported.

The arrest, which also saw a 48-year-old Malaysian man detained, occurred at Taman Desa Petaling, a town in southern KL, where a traditional medicine shop was raided at about 2pm.

Millions of dollars worth of drugs seized

Drugs worth RM21.8 million (S$6.5 million) were seized, including 209.5kg of Erimin-5 pills.

The haul could have been supplied to 1.1 million drug users, police estimated.

The Malaysian man was believed to be a runner for the syndicate.

Police said in a press conference in KL that the Singaporean suspect was 30m from the shop and had to be stopped in his car before apprehending him.

Some 5.5kg of ecstasy pills were seized from the car.

Assets including cars and cash worth RM59,000 (S$17,500) were also seized.

Further investigation revealed that the medicine shop was owned by the suspected ringleader’s daughter, and was believed to have been used as a cover.

The syndicate has been operating since early 2024 and their supply was from overseas and distributed in the Klang Valley region in KL, police added,

Singaporean man's passport expired

Both suspects do not have any criminal record, and police had previously detained the Singaporean suspect but the case was not prosecuted, police said.

The Singaporean man's passport was discovered to have expired.

Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said it was aware of the Singaporean’s arrest and is liaising with the bureau’s Malaysian counterparts to render any help needed for investigations.

Top image from The Star.