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SUNGAI PETANI – The Home Ministry is seeking more information from Japanese authorities following the arrest of five Malaysians suspected of attempting to smuggle cocaine into Japan through Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said further details would be announced once the ministry had obtained complete information.
“I have already asked Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan to contact the Japanese authorities so that we can obtain accurate information about this incident,” he said.
He was speaking at a Madani Town Hall session with the Home Minister at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Merbok on Tuesday.
Earlier, media reports said the five Malaysians were arrested in Japan over allegations that they had tried to smuggle cocaine concealed beneath the insoles of their shoes.
According to NHK World Japan, four of the five suspects admitted to the allegations, while the remaining suspect denied them.
Saifuddin said the ministry was taking a similar approach to cases involving a Malaysian co-pilot detained in Jakarta several months ago and the seizure of 521 kilogrammes of drugs from a private jet in Laos, which was initially alleged to have originated from Malaysia.
Meanwhile, he said the 17 recommendations under a joint memorandum between the Home Ministry and the Transport Ministry to strengthen security at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and the country's entry points would proceed as planned.
He said the recommendations, which had been approved by the Cabinet, would be implemented in three phases, with the first focusing on destinations identified as high-risk areas or hotspots.
“Because we have three phases, the first phase focuses on destinations we consider hotspots. In our original list, hotspots did not include Tokyo or places like that.
“Hotspot areas or destinations refer to places where we conduct 100 per cent physical inspections from head to toe, as well as 100 per cent baggage checks,” he said.
