His business on the side came to an end when the 32-year-old was arrested with another man in a sting operation yesterday.

Police arrested the man, believed to be the middleman of a drug syndicate here, after he delivered methamphetamine weighing over 3kg to another man believed to be a dealer, in Inanam near here.

In the businessman’s possession, they found a few pieces of jewellery and a branded watch, all valued at around RM300,000, as well as a four-wheel drive vehicle.

“We believe the items were all bought with profits from his previous drug transactions,” city police chief Mohd Zaidi Abdullah told reporters at the Kota Kinabalu police headquarters in Kepayan today.

He added that the drugs were estimated to be worth around RM110,000 in the market.

“Our investigations found that the drugs were intended to be sold in the state capital and that it can be supplied to 15,000 customers.

“Altogether, the items seized are worth some RM700,000.”

Mohd Zaidi said they had been monitoring the businessman, who owned a shop at the Suria Inanam commercial centre, for about a month before making their move.

He said the drugs were brought in from the peninsula by the syndicate linked to the man.

“We are still investigating this matter but we are certain a syndicate was involved,” he said, adding that police believe the drugs were brought into Sabah by air.

He added it was difficult for the authorities to detect all drugs that come in through airports, especially those that are well-concealed.

Mohd Zaidi said the businessman had stored the drugs inside Chinese tea packets before handing them over to the dealer, adding that this was the biggest drug bust by the city police this year thus far.

He said the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which provides for the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.