Sabah Customs seizes over 200kg of meth in year's biggest drug haul

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Customs officials made their largest drug haul in the state this year, with the seizure of over 200kg of methamphetamine valued at more than RM6.85mil last week.

Sabah Zone Customs Department assistant director-general Datuk Mohd Nasir Deraman said the confiscation was made at a courier agent's office in Penampang at around 9.10am on Feb 15.

He said officials had already detected the suspicious items stored in 15 boxes at the aviation post warehouse at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

“The boxes went through screening machines and there, we detected something amiss,” he said during a press conference on Friday (Feb 23).

"A further test proved that the boxes contained methamphetamine,” said Mohd Nasir.

He said they allowed the boxes to pass through as part of investigations and followed the trail until the shipment reached its intended destination.

He said the boxes were delivered to a courier company agent's office, and the recipients were supposed to self-collect the parcels.

“However, no one came forward,” said Mohd Nasir.

He said the drugs, believed to have been sent in from Peninsular Malaysia, were later taken back to the Customs Department for further investigation.

“The drugs, enough to feed the habit of 600,000 addicts, were well packed and sealed in tea packets, intending to fool the authorities,” he said.

Mohd Nasir said Customs officials were tracking down the suspects involved and investigating whether Sabah was the drugs' final destination or only a transit point.

He urged the public to come forward if they have information on this case and assured them that the identity of every whistleblower will be protected.