PENANG, March 12 (Bernama) -- Dabbling in dangerous drugs is akin to playing with fire.

Even if the venue for the drug transaction is within the confines of the Air Itam Fire and Rescue Department's parking lot.

Early today, a fireman found this out too late when he and two other accomplices were arrested in connection with the seizure of 100kg of ganja.

The drug, whose street value was about RM350,000, was meant for distribution to the addict population in the island.

A police team picked up the 35-year-old civil servant and the other two suspects at the parking lot about 4am.

Initial investigations revealed the trio were allegedly linked to a drug trafficking syndicate which brought in the drug from Thailand.

The suspects are being investigated under 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.

Penang police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakob said the suspects were involved in drug trafficking since several months ago.

"One of them has a previous record for drug-related crimes," he said, adding that the police were in the midst of tracking down the remaining members of the syndicate.

He said the police believed the arrests had exposed the activites of a drug trafficking syndicate which used the fire and rescue department's parking lot to transact in drugs before distribution.

Ayub said that earlier, the police were informed that a car was spotted at the parking lot about 4am.

A Timur Laut police patrol team, upon checking the Proton Wira, found two men, aged 35 and 40, inside the vehicle whose boot revealed several bags containing blocks of ganja.

Following interrogation of the duo, the police arrested the fireman in the vicinity to facilitate investigations.

Earlier, Ayub presented certificates of appreciation to five policemen, including the patrolmen who arrested the three suspected drug syndicate members.