KUALA LUMPUR: Police has yet to receive any information regarding claims that a Malaysian citizen is the mastermind behind the 'Indian drug lord' apprehended last Saturday.
The allegation was made by an Indian journalist who is also the owner of a media agency in India during an interview on YouTube, as reported by a local news portal.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said a check found that the individual dubbed the 'Indian drug lord' detained by the Indian Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is not listed in any drug distribution information within the country.
"An inquiry into the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) database found that this individual has not appeared in any drug distribution information in our country so far.
"However, NCID is currently obtaining information from Indian authority regarding the involvement of this individual in Malaysia as alleged in the online news portal," he said.
Razarudin said at the moment, the police does not have a bilateral relationship with NCB and any communication is only through Interpol and the United States' Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
"Police, particularly NCID, places great emphasis on international cooperation in combating drug trafficking activities.
"This commitment can be seen through Malaysia's involvement with international agencies such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), DEA and the Australian Federal Police (AFP)," he said.
Earlier, the media reported that the head of the 'Indian drug lord' was a Malaysian citizen who had close ties to Tamil film industry celebrities and a film distributor, but the identity of the individual involved was not disclosed.
The allegation was made by a senior journalist in India following the arrest of Tamil film producer Jaffer Sadiq by the NCB for allegedly being involved in an international drug smuggling syndicate worth RM1.3 billion.
In a recent statement, the NCB reportedly said that Jaffer is believed to be running a drug syndicate that has been sending 45 consignments since three years ago to various countries, containing approximately 3,500 kilograms of pseudoephedrine (a chemical used in making synthetic drugs).
In the same statement, the NCB revealed that Jaffer admitted to obtaining a large sum of money from drug distribution activities channelled through legitimate business entities, including the film industry, construction, and hospitality.
