KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 17 -- Police crippled a major drug syndicate and uncovered two illegal laboratories in Kepong last week, seizing nearly 3.6 tonnes of ecstasy worth an estimated RM598.9 million.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail said the bust, codenamed Op Pine, was carried out by the Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) on September 10 following weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering.

The morning raids, conducted at several industrial premises in Kepong and a house in Dataran Templer, Selangor, also led to the arrest of four local men aged between 34 and 51.

"Based on our investigations, one of them acted as the coordinator, another as the chemist responsible for prod...