KANGAR: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department of Perlis has seized 5.2kg of heroin worth over RM492,000 and detained a Thai woman at the Padang Besar Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex.
Perlis Customs director Ismail Hashim said the arrest and seizure were made on Wednesday (Aug 28).
The suspect, aged 30, was detained by the Passenger Inspection Special Unit at the complex at 6.40pm when a luggage scan detected suspicious contents.
"A thorough inspection found that each of the two handbags and two backpacks contained brownish packets hidden in special compartments.
"Upon inspecting the packets, they were found to contain white powder suspected to be heroin,” he told a press conference at the State Customs Complex here on Friday (Aug 30).
He said the woman claimed that she was on her way to Kuala Lumpur to celebrate a friend's birthday and planned to take a taxi from Padang Besar to the bus station in Kangar.
Ismail said the drugs were believed to have been obtained in Bangkok and meant for the Kuala Lumpur market.
"A remand order was issued by the Kangar Magistrate's Court on Thursday (Aug 29) to detain the woman for seven days to assist the investigation under Section 39(B)(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952,” he added. – Bernama
