JAKARTA, July 31 - Indonesia arrested a Malaysian pilot who allegedly smuggled 26 kilograms of the mind-altering drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) into the capital Jakarta while on the job and under the influence of drugs, the customs office said on Friday.
According to Reuters, the pilot, 39, was arrested on Wednesday at Jakarta's main airport.
Indonesia customs officer Hengky Tomuan Parlindungan Aritonang in a press conference today, said the pilot, who was identified by the initials MS, had just flown a Malaysian Airlines plane from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta.
Now identified as a criminal suspect, the pilot had allegedly brought MDMA in a suitcase to Jakarta at the request of an unidentified person with the promise of a RM50,000 ($12,239.90) reward, the customs office said.
The pilot had been under the influence of cocaine and methamphetamine after a urine test, Hengky said, adding Indonesia and Malaysian authorities are in communication.
Hengky also claimed the pilot was a courier. Reuters said Malaysia Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Indonesia has strict drug laws and in 2015 executed two Australians in the Bali Nine drug ring for attempting to smuggle heroin out of the resort island of Bali.
