PETALING JAYA: Indonesian authorities have revealed that the Malaysian pilot arrested at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was allegedly caught attempting to smuggle 26kg of ecstasy and a small amount of methamphetamine concealed in his luggage.
According to Indonesia's Customs and Excise Department, closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed the pilot arriving at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on July 29 before proceeding through the arrival hall and completing his customs declaration.
Although he was initially directed to the dedicated "fast track" lane for flight crew, Customs officers subjected him to further inspection based on risk profiling and behavioural analysis.
A subsequent search uncovered 26kg of ecstasy, equivalent to about 70,114 pills, along with 4g of methamphetamine hidden inside his suitcase.
Officers also seized a small bottle containing urine, which investigators suspect was intended to falsify the results of a urine drug test if one was requested during the inspection.
Indonesian authorities said the seizure highlighted the effectiveness of their risk-based enforcement system, which combines profiling, officer observations, X-ray screening and physical inspections rather than relying solely on initial Customs clearance.
The suspect and the seized drugs have since been handed over to Indonesia's National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) for further investigation, including efforts to identify any wider drug trafficking network.
