Bukit Aman to gather intelligence in Jakarta over pilot-linked drug smuggling case

The Royal Malaysia Police will send a team of investigators and intelligence officers from the Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) to Jakarta, Indonesia, next week.

This is to gather more information related to the syndicate network believed to be involved in a drug smuggling case involving a Malaysian pilot.

NCID director Hussein Omar Khan said the team will be in Jakarta from Aug 11 to 15 to assist in completing the investigation, including identifying the source of drug supplies, smuggling methods, and the possibility of the suspects' connections with syndicates in Indonesia.

"The police will look at the overall aspect of this drug distribution. This means from where he got this supply, which syndicate, how he managed to pass the security screening at the departure gates of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), and what the connection is with the syndicate in Indonesia," he said after being a guest on Bernama Radio’s Waspada programme in Kuala Lumpur today.

Hussein (above) said the investigation is important to identify the entire distribution chain, including the possibility of involvement of other parties.

Commenting on the status of the suspect, who is now facing legal proceedings in Indonesia, Hussein said no extradition request will be made, and the pilot must undergo legal proceedings in that country.

"There is no (extradition)... we can stay informed, and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) will share updates on the case. But he has to go through the legal process in that country," he said.

Previously, it was reported that Indonesian authorities detained a 39-year-old pilot at Terminal 3, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after being accused of attempting to smuggle 25kg of drugs.

According to Polri, the inspection found 15 packages containing 70,114 ecstasy and methamphetamine capsules, estimated to be worth RM45 million based on the Indonesian market price.

Statements recorded

In a related development, Hussein said the police recorded statements from two members of the KLIA Aviation Security two days ago to assist in the investigation.

However, he said no arrests have been made so far and that the police found that both involved officers had no direct connection with the suspect.

Regarding the recent detention of another Malaysian man, aged 22, at the Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Hussein said the police are still investigating the possibility of a connection between the two cases.

He also said that the investigation into the case in Surabaya was quite challenging because the syndicate was believed to be using third-party information for phone number registration and communicating through social media to make detection difficult.

The media previously reported that Indonesian authorities detained a man from Johor after he was found to be carrying four packages containing approximately 1kg of methamphetamine and four packages containing more than 1,000 ecstasy pills strapped to his body.

- Bernama

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