Police crippled an international drug syndicate after uncovering their tactic of hiding Eramin 5 pills in mannequins during a series of raids in Ayer Hitam, Batu Pahat, in Johor Bahru and in the Klang Valley on Thursday.

During the operations, police seized 824,500 pills worth RM12.37 million.

Bukit Aman Narcotic Investigation Department director Zul Hasnan Najib Baharudin said 14 men and three women consisting of locals, Singaporeans, Taiwanese and Indonesians were also arrested in the raids carried out simultaneously at 1pm in Ayer Hitam, Johor Bahru and in the Klang Valley.

"The raid on a premises in Ayer Hitam, jointly conducted by the Bukit Aman Narcotic Investigation Department and Taiwan Drug Enforcement Division, recovered 529,500 Eramin 5 pills concealed in 60 mannequins.

"The mannequins were kept in 15 boxes, with each box containing four mannequins," he told reporters at the Batu Pahat police headquarters today.

In the raid on two houses in Johor Bahru, Zul Hasnan said police discovered 295,000 Eramin 5 pills, 15kg of ketamine and 890 Dormicum pills.

He said this was the largest Eramin 5 seizure so far this year.

The syndicate was believed to have been active for over a year, he added.

"Police seized five vehicles, local and foreign currencies, including currencies of Taiwan, Singapore, China, Cambodia and Indonesia," he said.

The suspects, aged between 28 to 74, are being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries the death sentence upon conviction.

- Bernama