The arrests followed a raid on a luxury residence in Sarawak State in the northeast Malaysia. The trio had been placed under surveillance for a long time, police said. The Malaysia man, 24, was found positive for drugs. The Vietnamese women, whose names have not been released, were in their 20s, Malay Mail reported.

While searching their residence in the coastal city of Mire in Sarawak, the police found various types of drugs including ecstasy and ketamine worth RM82,201 ($19,605).

They also found jewelry and 28 pieces of gold-plated keys worth RM30,752 ($7,331).

"Their activities began in 2018 and they focused mostly on entertainment centers around Miri, and they are being investigated under the Dangerous Drugs Act, which carries mandatory death penalty upon conviction," Malaysian police officers said.

Possession of drugs is a serious offense in Malaysia and punishable with death by hanging.

Last month, a Malaysian court rejected a Vietnamese woman’s appeal to set aside her death sentence for drug trafficking. Tran Thi Tat, 36, was sentenced to death in 2017 by the Kuala Terengganu High Court after she was caught with over 1.66 kg of drugs at the Kuala Terengganu Airport in 2013.