Two men arrested at Kuching International Airport as customs seize methamphetamine and Erimin 5 pills worth RM1.32 million.
KUCHING: The Sarawak Royal Malaysian Customs Department foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs worth RM1.32 million through Kuching International Airport (KIA), arresting two local men in two separate cases on July 9.
Sarawak Customs director Datuk Norizan Yahya said both suspects were believed to have used the same modus operandi by removing their baggage tags immediately after arriving at KIA to avoid being identified as the owners of the luggage.
He said in the first case at about 9.10 pm, a Narcotics Branch team detained a local man who had arrived at KIA on a flight from Johor Bahru.
“Inspection of the luggage uncovered 13 Chinese tea packets suspected of containing 13.2 kilogrammes (kg) of methamphetamine with an estimated value of RM660,000,” he told a press conference on the case here today.
About 10 minutes later, another local man was arrested after he was found using the same modus operandi by removing his baggage tag to avoid being identified as the owner of the luggage.
“Inspection uncovered 13 Chinese tea packets suspected of containing 13.2 kg of methamphetamine and one red packet containing 83 Erimin 5 pills, with the total seizure valued at RM660,560,” Norizan said.
He said preliminary investigations found the two cases were linked, with the suspects believed to have been paid RM1,000 for every kilogramme of drugs successfully smuggled.
The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment and, where the death penalty is not imposed, up to 15 strokes of the cane upon conviction.
