KUCHING: The Sarawak Customs Department has foiled attempts to smuggle drugs worth RM1.32mil through the Kuching International Airport (KIA) with the arrests of 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, removing their baggage tags immediately upon arrival at KIA to avoid being identified as the luggage's owners.
He said that in the first case at about 9.10pm, a Narcotics Branch team detained a local man who had arrived at KIA on a flight from Johor Baru.
"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 on Monday (July 20).
The second suspect was arrested about 10 minutes later after he was found using the same modus operandi.
"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 added.
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. – Bernama
