Just days after a Malaysian commercial airline pilot was arrested in Indonesia over an alleged ecstasy smuggling attempt, another Malaysian has been detained in a separate drug trafficking case.
Indonesian authorities arrested a 22-year-old Malaysian man after discovering 990g of methamphetamine and 1,089 ecstasy pills concealed beneath a corset he was wearing at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java.
Debts pressured suspect into working as a drug courier
The suspect, identified only by the initials DI, was detained at Terminal 2 after arriving on Batik Air flight OD352 from Kuala Lumpur to Surabaya on Monday.
Authorities said officers found four packages containing a total of 990g of methamphetamine and another four packages containing 1,089 ecstasy pills hidden beneath a corset wrapped around the suspect’s body during an inspection.
Investigators alleged that DI admitted he agreed to work as a courier for an international drug syndicate because he was facing financial difficulties and mounting debts.
“The suspect tried to conceal the narcotics beneath the corset he was wearing to avoid inspection. However, the attempt was foiled,” said Juanda Naval Air Base commander Col. Henoch Nasairus Virzawan during a press conference on Monday.
Authorities estimated the seized drugs have a street value of around Rp2.79 billion (approximately RM715,000) and said the seizure potentially prevented the narcotics from reaching about 6,584 users, as per the official statement by the Indonesian authorities.
The suspect may face the death penalty
The suspect and the seized drugs have since been handed over to investigators from the Sidoarjo Municipal Police, who are continuing investigations to identify others believed to be involved in the international drug trafficking network, as reported by Jakarta Globe.
If convicted, DI could face between five and 20 years’ imprisonment, life imprisonment, or the death penalty under Indonesian law.
The arrest comes shortly after another high-profile case involving a Malaysian commercial airline pilot, who was detained after allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 25kg of ecstasy pills into Indonesia through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
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Also read: 3 M’sians Carrying RM4.3mil Worth of Meth Arrested in Hat Yai, Drugs Intended for Delivery to M’sia
