Pubdate: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 Source: Star (Malaysia) Copyright: 2000 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. Contact: 13 Jalan 13/6, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Website: http://www.thestar.com.my Author: Bernard See STUDENT ECSTASY SUPPLIER HELD BUTTERWORTH: A college student, believed to be a major supplier of Ecstasy pills to nightspots in the state, was arrested when police broke up a processing centre at a shophouse in Raja Uda yesterday. OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Wahab Ahmad said a pressing machine, 3kg of a flour-like substance said to contain methamphetamine and paracetamol, five packets of cannabis and 700 Ecstasy pills were seized from the four-storey shophouse in Jalan Bunga Raya. "The pills said to be worth RM21,000 were already packed and about to be distributed to the pushers. Our checks showed that the pills are usually sold at RM30 each. "A district narcotics department team had been monitoring the place for about a month. We only struck at 4.20am today after making sure that everything was in place," he said. It is learnt that the seized ingredients could make hundreds of thousands of Ecstasy pills worth millions of ringgit. Police have sent the seized flour-like substance to the Chemistry Department for analysis. ACP Abdul Wahab, who described the seizure as the state's biggest, added that the pills were not only destined for the local nightspots but also those in neighbouring states. He said the 24-year-old student was liable to be charged under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act which carries the mandatory death sentence. "The narcotics team also detained a man, a 33-year-old lounge bouncer, who was making his way up to see the student to pick up his Ecstasy supply. He is believed to be a pusher who supplied his regular customers with the pills. "Six such pills, a packet of syabu and several psychotropic pills were seized with the arrest of the man. He was also remanded by the magistrate's court to help in investigations," he said. Ecstasy is a methamphetamine-based pill which "charges up" its users and is especially popular with the more affluent crowd comprising disco and pub-goers in their 20s to early 30s. - --- MAP posted-by: Allan Wilkinson