SEPANG: Customs officers have foiled an attempt to smuggle 12.675kg of cannabis flower worth RM1.01mil hidden inside children's toy boxes at the KL International Airport (KLIA) here.
The seizure was made by the enforcement division of the KLIA Customs Department at the KLIA Mail and Courier Centre on July 13.
KLIA Customs director Aspalila AG Tuah said four boxes were seized during the operation.
“Inspection found transparent airtight plastic bags containing 12.675kg of cannabis flower worth RM1.01mil hidden inside children's toy boxes,” she said at a press conference at the KLIA Cargo Customs Complex here on Thursday (Aug 13).
She said preliminary investigations found that the packages were believed to have been intended for export to a European country via a cargo service.
“Checks found that the telephone number displayed on the boxes could not be contacted, while the sender’s and recipient’s addresses were also fake,” she said.
Aspalila said investigations were ongoing to determine the source of the drugs and identify those involved.
In a separate case, Customs officers seized 47.8kg of cannabis flower worth RM3.82mil from two bags left at the Lost and Found office at the International Arrival Hall of KLIA Terminal 1.
She said the bags had been left there for about a month before they were inspected on July 14.
“Checks found that the two bags were scheduled to be taken on a flight to Langkawi but were abandoned by the passenger.
“A scan of the bags was then conducted, which detected suspicious images before a thorough inspection was carried out,” she said.
Aspalila said officers from the KLIA Customs enforcement division found airtight plastic bags containing 47.8kg of cannabis flower inside the luggage.
She said investigations were ongoing, including efforts to obtain assistance from the airline to identify the owner of the bags.
Both cases are being investigated under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
