IPOH, June 11 — Perak police seized over 123 kilograms of methamphetamine and ketamine valued at RM4.67 million from an abandoned sports utility vehicle (SUV) near Loji Taman Pulai Savana in Gerik on June 6.
Perak Police Chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin said the discovery was made after a member of the public alerted authorities to a suspiciously parked Honda HR-V along the roadside at around 1am.
“The prolonged presence of the vehicle raised suspicions, prompting a police patrol unit and a criminal investigation team to inspect the locked SUV,” he said during a press conference at the Perak Police Headquarters here today.
Officers found 80 transparent plastic packets containing suspected methamphetamine weighing 82.8 kilograms, along with 39 packets of suspected ketamine totaling 40.4 kilograms.
Noor Hisam said the drugs were in plain sight in the vehicle’s bonnet, and there were no signs of the driver or passengers.
“Our officers believe the vehicle had been left there for about 30 minutes, as the engine was still warm when it was found,” he said.
Investigations revealed that the SUV had been cloned, with its chassis number tampered with and engine number altered.
“The original registration was traced to a nurse residing in Serdang, Selangor,” Noor Hisam said.
He described the seizure as significant, estimating the recovered drugs could have supplied 350,000 addicts — nearly half the population of Ipoh.
“We believe these drugs were intended for distribution within Perak and potentially to neighbouring states.
“Our investigation will also focus on the origin of the drugs and why the vehicle was abandoned in Gerik,” he added.
Noor Hisam noted this is one of the largest drug seizures in the state for the first half of the year.
The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.
