PASIR PUTEH: Information provided by a Malaysian man detained in India for alleged drug trafficking has helped police identify a wider drug network and make several arrests, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (pic).
He said Malaysian authorities were able to interview the suspect through cooperation with Indian authorities via Police-to-Police (P-to-P) channels and Asean platforms.
“Through our questioning of him, we obtained much more information. Based on that information, we have already made several arrests,” he told a press conference after the handover ceremony for the completed Region Three Marine Police Base project in Tok Bali on Thursday (Sept 3).
Saifuddin Nasution said authorities were also investigating whether the man had acted alone or was part of an organised criminal network.
“We want to establish whether he acted alone, whether he was one of the perpetrators in organised crime, and so on,” he said.
He was responding to an international media report that a 62-year-old Malaysian man was detained by Chennai Customs in India on Monday after allegedly attempting to smuggle 3.452kg of hydroponic cannabis worth about 1.20 crore (RM520,000) into the country.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin Nasution said the government was strengthening security at the country’s entry points, particularly airports, following several cases involving Malaysians who left the country before being detained at their destinations.
He said the Home Ministry and Transport Ministry had submitted a 17-point proposal to the Cabinet to improve security for both outbound and inbound movements.
The proposal covers short-, medium- and long-term measures involving several agencies, including the police, Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), Immigration Department, aviation security, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). – Bernama
