Op Tebuan: Cops Bust International Syndicate, Seize RM18.16 Million Worth Of Drugs In Multi-State Raids

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 – Police arrested seven suspects, including an international drug mule, under Op Tebuan after dismantling a major drug smuggling network and seizing various illicit substances valued at RM18.16 million.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) Director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan revealed that the arrests and seizures were carried out across seven targeted raids in Perak, Selangor, and Kedah between September 1 and October 4.

Speaking at a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent Headquarters on Friday, October 9, 2026, Hussein stated that the suspects—comprising six local men and one foreign national aged between 34 and 58—were operating as part of an organized international distribution ring.

Op Tebuan Operations, Transit Routes, and Legal Action

The multi-state police operation uncovered complex air and land trafficking routes used by the syndicate:

• Airport Arrest and Cannabis Seizure: The first arrest occurred on September 1 outside Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh, Perak, where a foreign national was apprehended carrying 50 transparent packages containing 26.2 kilogrammes of compressed cannabis buds destined for London via transit in Singapore.
• Subsequent Raids: Follow-up operations between September 30 and October 4 across Selangor and Kedah netted six additional local suspects, along with 210 kilogrammes of methamphetamine and 69 kilogrammes of cannabis buds.
• Supply Chain and Mule Payouts: Active since July 2026, the syndicate sourced narcotics from a neighboring country north of Peninsular Malaysia for Klang Valley distribution and international air trafficking, paying drug couriers fees ranging from RM5,000 to RM20,000 per assignment.
• Court Prosecutions: The first suspect was charged in court under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 on September 8, while the remaining six suspects were charged under the same section on October 8.

Additional Drug Operations: Op Plecoptera and Op Tongkol

Hussein also detailed two other successful drug interdiction operations conducted by Bukit Aman NCID:

• Op Plecoptera: On September 20, police arrested five foreign nationals aged between 21 and 43 in four raids across the Klang Valley, seizing 38 kilogrammes of ketamine and 0.038 kilogrammes of cannabis buds worth RM1.92 million. The drugs were smuggled from Chennai, India, circumventing security checks at both Chennai and KLIA airports.
• Op Tongkol: In a third operation, police arrested three men for utilizing a commercial shopping mall parking area in the Klang Valley as a handover point for a drug shipment worth RM5.6 million.

–NMT