KLIA customs foil drug, currency smuggling bids

An Indian national's bid to smuggle 8.37 kilogramme (kg) of drugs worth RM376,650 in 54 clutch bags was successfully foiled by the Royal Malaysian Customs at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on May 17.

Customs Department deputy director-general (Customs Goods and Services Tax) Datuk Zulkifli Yahya said the ketamine in the clutch bags was found hidden in the luggage that belonged to the 38-year-old suspect after arriving from Kochi, India at about 7.40am on May 17.

"Investigations revealed that the drugs were not for the Malaysian market but was on transit to other countries," he told reporters, here today.

Asked whether the suspect was a drug mule, Zulkifli said the suspect had knowledge of the goods he was carrying and believed he was part of a drug syndicate in the country.

"He was coming to Malaysia for the first time but had not purchased a return ticket," he said

Zulkifli said the KLIA Customs had including the latest case, thwarted seven cases of drug smuggling this year and arrested four suspects, seized drugs weighing 30.757kg and worth about RM1.33 million.

In 2014, the KLIA Customs seized 379.7kg of drugs, in 2015 drugs weighing 120.47kg was seized and last year 209kg of drugs were seized.

Meanwhile, Zulkifli said the KLIA Customs also detained three foreigners in two separate cases this month for failing to declare currency in their possession.

In the first case, a 35-year-old Yemeni man was detained at the airport's arrival hall at 3.45pm on May 17 for failing to declare Euro29,000 (RM140,380) which was found in the suspect''s pocket.

Meanwhile, on May 18, a Thai husband and wife couple aged 67 and 50 respectively, were arrested in the klia2 departure hall at 10.15am for failing to declare RM700,000.

"The amount carried by them which exceeded more than US$10,000 should have been declared. Importing and exporting Malaysian currency is illegal," he said.

-- BERNAMA