Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police have detained two men - an Iranian and Algerian - believed to be leaders of an international drug ring using women to smuggle drugs, reports said Thursday.

Police also seized eight packages of the drug methamphetamine worth 1.1 million ringgit (345,000 dollars) from the duo, who were detained Sunday, said Kuala Lumpur police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman.

"The suspects, who are believed to be using Malaysia as a drugs transit centre, were detained after police stopped a four-wheel-drive vehicle at the parking area," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

Muhammad Sabtu said the suspects, aged 37 and 38, had entered the country as tourists, adding that the Iranian national had entered the country 10 times while the Algerian was making his first visit.

Police also seized four mobile phones, a Rolex watch, two international passports and some local and foreign currency cash, he said.

Muhammad Sabtu said the suspects were believed to be supplying drugs to the Mediterranean market.

He said they were believed to be conning local women into becoming "mules" for their drugs.

The two suspects, who have been detained for investigations, had no criminal records and that urine tests found that the Iranian was positive for drugs, the report said.

If charged and found guilty of drug trafficking, they stand to face the mandatory death sentence by hanging. (dpa)