Six Malaysian men have been detained by Bukit Aman’s Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) in connection with an alleged drug trafficking operation involving a Malaysian co-pilot arrested at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, on July 29.
The six suspects were detained following information obtained during questioning of the 39-year-old co-pilot by a team of NCID officers who travelled to Jakarta from August 11 to 15.
Bukit Aman NCID director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the suspects, aged between 23 and 50, were believed to have acted as suppliers and couriers who provided drugs to the co-pilot.
He said they were arrested in a special operation conducted by the NCID between August 20 and 28.
“Investigations and intelligence found that they played the roles of upline and downline members within the drug distribution syndicate involving the co-pilot,” he said when contacted today.
Hussein said investigations were ongoing, with all six suspects being detained under the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985.
Under the law, police can detain suspects for up to 60 days to complete their investigations before further detention orders are issued.
Hussein added that the NCID would share the information gathered with the Indonesian National Police (POLRI) as part of the investigation.
The co-pilot was arrested at the International Arrival Terminal of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after arriving from Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines flight MH727.
He was detained at about 11.30pm local time after Indonesian customs officers detected suspicious luggage during an X-ray scan. He was subsequently taken to an inspection room after collecting the luggage.
A further inspection uncovered 14 packets containing 70,114 ecstasy pills weighing about 25kg in the luggage, along with four grammes of methamphetamine in his hand luggage. The drugs were estimated to be worth RM45 million.
Indonesian police said the co-pilot had allegedly been promised RM50,000 to transport the drugs to Jakarta, where another individual was supposed to collect them from a hotel.
