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SHAH ALAM – Europe’s growing demand for cannabis flowers is turning Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) into a prime target for international drug syndicates seeking to move their illicit cargo overseas.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said strong demand for cannabis flowers in European countries is among the main factors behind syndicates targeting KLIA as a route to smuggle the drug out of Malaysia.
“Based on the number of arrests and seizures made, it can indeed be said that KLIA has become one of the main hubs for transporting cannabis flowers to Europe,” he said.
Hussein said the growing demand for cannabis flowers in Europe is driven by their use for medical purposes in several countries, while cannabis extracts are also used in vape products.
He said police investigations had found that the syndicates involved operate through both international and local networks.
Hussein said police believe the cannabis flowers are brought into Malaysia through sea and land routes in the northern part of the peninsula before being sent to overseas markets.
“About 80 per cent of the supply entering Malaysia is sent back out to overseas markets such as Indonesia, the Philippines and several other countries,” he said.
The revelation raises fresh questions over how Malaysia is being exploited as a transit point in an increasingly international drug trafficking network, with KLIA emerging as a critical link between suppliers and lucrative overseas markets.
On security measures, Hussein said the Transport Ministry, together with all relevant agencies, is reviewing ways to improve standard operating procedures (SOPs) at KLIA.
“Previously, priority in security inspections was focused more on the smuggling of firearms and prohibited goods.
“However, now all parties have agreed that the threat of drug smuggling should also be made a priority in security procedures at KLIA,” he said.
Hussein stressed that police do not consider KLIA easy to penetrate, but acknowledged that syndicates are constantly looking for and exploiting any weaknesses they can find.
“Although many arrests and seizures have been successfully carried out, syndicates never give up and will continue trying to smuggle drugs out through KLIA,” he said yesterday.
