FOR the past four months, two men duped residents in the vicinity of Taman Aun Say, here, into believing that they were managing a fruit orchard.

However, their dark secret came to light recently when police raided their 1.2ha durian orchard and busted a mini drug processing laboratory following weeks of surveillance.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim said a police party raided two houses built in the orchard on Tuesday and detained the two men. They were found with a variety of drugs worth more than RM1 million.

Noor Rashid said the two men then led the raiding party to the second house nearby where they processed the drug.

There, police found 3.69kg of syabu, 290g of ecstasy, 6.080 litres of methamphetamine liquid, 20.5g of ephedrine (the main component in making the drugs), gold dust and other drug processing equipment.

They also seized two cars, four motorcycles and a tractor.

“This is the biggest seizure in Perak this year and the biggest in Taiping to date,” he told reporters at the Taiping district police headquarters.

Noor Rashid said initial investigations revealed that the drugs were meant for distribution in the Klang Valley and Johor.

Present were Perak Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department chief Assistant Commissioner Eiap Eng Kian, district police chief Assistant Commissioner Yusof Md Diah and the district’s narcotics chief Assistant Superintendent Abd Latiff Mehan.

Noor Rashid said the two men, aged 41 and 43, were from Taiping.

Initial investigations showed one of them had been detained before in Simpang Renggam under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Special Preventive Measures) 1983, while the other had no previous record.

Noor Rashid said the two houses, built on a hilltop, were strategically located, where the men could see any unusual movement.

“Our raiding party surprised the duo.” NST