Malaysian police seize 45 million dollars worth of drugs in 2008

Malaysian police seize 45 million dollars worth of drugs in 2008Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police seized illegal drugs valued at 149 million ringgit (45.15 million dollars) in 2008, double the amount seized the year before, a news report said Saturday.

The police narcotics department also seized 38 million ringgit (11.5 million dollars) worth of goods and cash from drug syndicates, including seizing four boats, a piece of property, jewelry and 228 vehicles, director Zul Hasnan Najib Baharuddin said.

"These syndicates continue to rake in money despite us coming down hard on their activities. They have also become more brazen and started arming themselves with sophisticated weapons, including hand grenades and machine guns," he was quoted as saying by the Star daily.

Zul Hasnan said authorities seized 29 pistols, 1,164 rounds of ammunition, three grenades and an assault rifle last year, adding that 61 suspected drug syndicate members were detained.

He said police also seized 3,149 kilogrammes of various drugs in powder form, 39,919 litres of drugs in liquid form and 1,712,082 pills of various types.

Despite Malaysia's tough drug laws which prescribe the mandatory death sentence by hanging for trafficking, smuggling has been rising each year. (dpa)

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