Indian drug mule caught on sixth visit to Malaysia

SEPANG: A drug mule from India was not lucky on his sixth visit to Malaysia as he was caught for attempting to smuggle 5.15kg of methamphetamine drugs hidden in his luggage bag today.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport's (KLIA) Customs director Datuk Hamzah Sundang said the 55-year-old from Chennai buried the drugs underneath piles of sarong.

"We detained him on Tuesday at 7.15am at the KLIA 1 after the personnel at the baggage scanning checkpoint of Terminal 1 spotted a suspicious package in his luggage," he said at a press conference at the KLIA Customs Cargo Complex today.

"According to his passport records, he visited Malaysia six times this year alone as a tourist. The drug that he smuggled worth about RM360,500.

"We managed to intercept the drug smuggling attempts into our country based on our Custom Department's surveillance and intelligence."

The suspect has a return ticket.

Hamzah said when interrogated, the suspect said he was on his way to a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, and a friend was supposed to pick up the bag of clothes.

He added that Customs officers were well aware with drug-related cases involving visitors from Chennai.

"We have our team, comprising plain-clothed enforcement officers to monitor the situation," he said, adding that the current methamphetamine seizure were meant for the domestic market.

The suspect is being remanded for seven days starting today under Section 39(B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries a death penalty if found guilty.

On May 23, the Customs Department of KLIA seized 8.37kg of smuggled ketamine drugs, valued at RM376,650, from an Indian tourist.

A first-time visitor to Malaysia, the 38-year-old man from Kochi, who was travelling on a one-way Malindo Air ticket to KL, was detained by Customs officers as he was going through the airport scanner.

Source: The Sun Daily, July 5, 2017

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