Malaysian police have launched an investigation into a suspected drug trafficking syndicate following the detention of a 54-year-old Malaysian man in India with more than four kilogrammes of hydroponic cannabis.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said Malaysian authorities would work closely with India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to gather further information and identify the network behind the alleged smuggling attempt.
“The NCID will continue to liaise with India’s NCB to obtain further details of the case and investigate the syndicate network involved,” he told the New Straits Times.
Hussein said the suspect, who is from Perak, had no previous criminal record in Malaysia. Information provided by Indian authorities showed that he had travelled from Bangkok to Chennai on Thai Airways flight TG337.
The man was detained after Chennai Customs officers examined his luggage and discovered around 4kg of hydroponic cannabis hidden inside.
He remains in the custody of Indian authorities and is being investigated under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985 pending court proceedings.
The suspect was previously reported to have been arrested at Chennai International Airport after allegedly attempting to smuggle 4,033 grammes of hydroponic cannabis into India.
According to Chennai Customs, the passenger had arrived from Bangkok and attempted to exit through the Green Channel without declaring the contents of his luggage.
He was selected for further inspection based on passenger profiling, while an X-ray scan of his checked baggage detected suspicious images.
A detailed examination subsequently uncovered four packets containing cannabis hidden inside a specially constructed compartment at the bottom of the luggage.
Indian authorities have warned that drug trafficking syndicates are increasingly recruiting individuals by covering their travel, accommodation and other expenses before using them to transport illegal drugs across borders.
India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has also previously reported a rise in attempts to smuggle hydroponic cannabis from Thailand through airports across the country.
