Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — With the help of Saudi Arabia, authorities in Malaysia have seized 94.8 million Captagon pills worth 5.2 billion Malaysian ringgits (SR4.73 billion, $1.26 billion) at Port Klang on March 15, Bernama, the official news agency of Malaysia, reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) found the drugs weighing 16-tons hidden inside castor within three 40ft containers that arrived at the port from the Middle East, making it the largest drug haul in the country’s history.

Commenting on the development, JKDM director-general Datuk Seri Abdul Latif Abdul Kadir said that the seizure was made possible with the help of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior.

He said initial investigations found that the containers were meant to be shipped to an East Asian country and no arrest has been made so far.

“We are currently conducting further investigations to determine whether the drug smuggling involved locals,” Abdul Latif said.

He said the modus operandi of such syndicates was to change the "ID" of each shipment.

“It is learned that once the goods arrive in this country, they are shipped to a third country before being sent back to their country of origin. This is the modus operandi used by international (drug) syndicates,” he said.