One of five Malaysians arrested in Japan with five kilogrammes of cocaine has claimed he was told airport staff had already been paid to ensure they would not be inspected.
According to Fuji News Network (FNN) on Monday, the 24-year-old male suspect made the claim in connection with an alleged attempt to smuggle drugs through Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
“I was told that airport staff had already been paid, so we would not be checked. That made me feel relieved,” he was quoted as saying by FNN.
However, the report did not identify which airport the alleged payment referred to, nor did it provide confirmation that any bribe had actually been paid.
FNN reported that the five Malaysians were believed to have accepted the offer after facing financial difficulties before attempting to smuggle cocaine concealed beneath their shoe insoles.
Their alleged operation was uncovered after Japanese customs officers became suspicious of one suspect wearing shoes with unusually thick soles.
An inspection subsequently uncovered the drugs, with each suspect believed to have been carrying about one kilogramme of cocaine, including 500 grammes hidden in each shoe.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan had earlier confirmed that two Malaysian men and three women were arrested on Oct 10.
He said the Royal Malaysia Police would send an investigation team to Japan to obtain further information about the arrests, including whether the suspects were linked to Malaysian or international drug trafficking syndicates.
