SEPANG: Baggage screening falls under the responsibility of Aviation Security (Avsec) under Malaysia Airports, the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) says.
AKPS director-general Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain confirmed that Avsec handled the screening of the arrested pilot caught with drugs at an Indonesian airport.
"I can confirm that officers from agencies under AKPS, including the Customs Department, were not involved in the baggage screening process using the X-ray scanners at KLIA.
"The baggage screening was conducted by Avsec. As I explained during Monday (Aug 3) afternoon's press conference, preliminary findings indicate that no suspicious objects were detected when the pilot's baggage passed through the screening machine before he was cleared to board the aircraft.
"He underwent and passed all security screening procedures. However, the police, through the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID), are now conducting further investigations to determine how 26kg of drugs managed to pass through the advanced high-technology baggage screening system," he said when contacted on Monday evening.
Comm Mohd Shuhaily added that the AKPS would not comment further on the matter as it could affect the ongoing police investigation.
"We are aware that the Indonesian authorities have released closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the pilot's arrest on the night of July 28. However, the legal framework in Indonesia differs from that in Malaysia," he said.
He urged the public to allow the police sufficient time and space to conduct a thorough investigation to identify any individuals responsible for colluding in the case.
The agencies under the purview of the AKPS are the Immigration Department, the Customs Department, the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (Maqis), the Health Ministry, the Road Transport Department (JPJ), and the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan)
On July 28, a 39-year-old Malaysian pilot was arrested at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport by Indonesian authorities after officers discovered 15 large packages containing 70,114 ecstasy pills and methamphetamine in his luggage.
