Private jet meth trail: Zero luggage in KL, 23 in Laos, 521kg found, lands in jail instead of Manila

When a Philippine national boarded a Learjet 55B at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang on Oct 1, he travelled light. Very light. He had no luggage.

The sole passenger boarded the private jet at about 11.30am and flew to Luang Prabang International Airport in Laos, arriving at about 1.30pm.

That was where the baggage plan was supposed to change.

The operating crew was told the passenger intended to collect luggage containing vape products for the onward flight to Manila and that he would personally handle customs clearance.

What the crew apparently did not know was that this would not be a case of “just a bag or two”.

CGT Asia Limited chief executive officer Darren Chan said the crew was not informed that the passenger would be collecting 23 pieces of luggage, which was substantially greater than anticipated.

The Singapore-based CGT Asia Limited operates the flight.

Chan said the luggage was never loaded onto the aircraft and that the operating crew had no involvement in the customs clearance process.

Alarms raised

But once they became aware of the proposed baggage, they raised a number of operational and safety concerns.

Among them were the unusually large quantity of luggage, the Learjet 55B’s baggage capacity, weight-and-balance considerations, and the possible presence of lithium batteries or other items that could be subject to dangerous goods requirements.

“The luggage was not accepted for carriage and was not loaded onto the aircraft at Luang Prabang International Airport,” Chan (above) said.

Unbeknownst to them, Laotian authorities were lurking and watching nearby.

Citing the government-linked Lao Security Newspaper, Vientiane Times reported on Oct 6 that the provincial police had received a tip-off about the alleged smuggling operation and dispatched specialised personnel to monitor it.

They watched as airport staff moved 23 suitcases from two vehicles parked at the airport terminal through an X-ray machine. Unlike Chan’s account, it claimed that the luggage had been loaded onto the aircraft.

It was then that the police pounced and found 21 of the 23 suitcases contained 500 packs of crystal methamphetamine, totalling 521kg. The remaining two suitcases contained personal belongings totalling 180kg.

“The relevant Laos authorities subsequently inspected and/or took control of the luggage and advised that the baggage was suspected of containing a significant quantity of illicit drugs or controlled substances,” Chan said.

Drug-trafficking probe

The discovery transformed what had begun as an unusual baggage problem into a drug-trafficking investigation.

Chan said that before receiving the information from the Laos authorities, neither CGT Asia nor the operating crew knew that the luggage allegedly contained illicit drugs or controlled substances.

“Following the intervention by the Laos authorities, the passenger and members of the operating crew were detained and/or required to remain available to the authorities in connection with their investigation,” Chan added.

The aircraft, meanwhile, was originally scheduled to fly back to Subang after heading to Manila.

CGT Asia said it would continue to cooperate with the authorities and provide any relevant documentation or clarification required.

On Tuesday, Malaysiakini reported that Laos police had seized the private jet and arrested 13 people, including a Malaysian, after recovering 521kg of crystal methamphetamine.

Malaysian police are now hunting the person who allegedly paid US$49,500 (RM202,250) to charter the private jet to traffic the massive haul from Laos to the Philippines.

Four people were arrested at Subang Airport as the probe widened.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Hussein Omar Khan (above) said investigators were working to identify the person who chartered the aircraft.

He is expected to hold a press conference about the case tomorrow morning.

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