Drug mules taking 'Plane to Busan' nabbed with RM8mil worth of syabu strapped to bodies

KUALA LUMPUR: Two local women who strapped drugs worth about RM8.16mil to their bodies were nabbed before they got on a flight to Busan, South Korea.

Police arrested the women, aged 26 and 31, along with a 21-year-old local man at a hotel in the Klang Valley around midnight on Sunday (May 12).

The man is believed to be a syndicate member who was helping the women attach the drugs to their bodies using adhesive tape.

Bukit Aman Narcotic Crime Investigation Department (NCID) acting director Deputy Comm Datuk Kamarulzaman Mamat said the two women already had the drugs, around 5.1kg of syabu, taped to their bodies under their clothes when police raided their room.

"They were about to leave for the airport for their flight. These drug mules earn a lot of money per trip," he told a press conference at Ampang Jaya police headquarters on Monday (May 13).

He said the women received an initial payment of RM1,000 along with plane tickets and hotel rooms that were paid for.

"When they return, they get another payment of RM15,000. The syndicates pay them handsomely because the drugs are worth a lot more overseas," he said.

He explained that the seized syabu, which is worth about RM50,000 per kg here is worth around US$400,000 per kg in South Korea.

"That's about RM1.6mil per kg over there compared to just RM50,000 here.

"So far this year, there have been 30 Malaysian drug mules arrested here and overseas due to this issue. Last year, 71 Malaysians were arrested," he said.

He added that some transport the drugs themselves like taping it to their bodies, while others travel to a foreign country and collect the drugs from a courier service that the syndicate had sent to them.

"We are cracking down on these syndicates. We recently busted another with seven arrests in Negri Sembilan," he said.

The detained trio have been remanded until May 18.