Six held over Malaysian co-pilot’s Jakarta drug case after four fled to Thailand, Vietnam and returned

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Bukit Aman’s Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (JSJN) has detained six local men over a drug smuggling case involving a Malaysian co-pilot arrested at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, with four of the suspects having fled to Thailand and Vietnam after learning of his arrest.

The six were detained in a special operation conducted between August 20 and 28, following information obtained from questioning of the 39-year-old co-pilot by a team of JSJN officers sent to Jakarta from August 11 to 15, Berita Harian reported.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the six were believed to have acted as suppliers and couriers who provided drugs to the co-pilot.

“All of them, aged between 23 and 50, were detained in a special operation conducted by JSJN between August 20 and 28,” he said when contacted today.

“Based on investigations and intelligence, they played the roles of ‘upline’ and ‘downline’ in the drug distribution syndicate involving the co-pilot,” he added.

Meanwhile, Harian Metro reported that Hussein said two of the suspects had fled to Thailand while another two went to Vietnam after learning of the co-pilot’s arrest.

The two who fled to Thailand were arrested when they returned to Malaysia by ferry through Kuah, Langkawi, Kedah, while the other two were detained after arriving at Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas.

The remaining two suspects were arrested in Bukit Mertajam, Penang and Klang, Selangor.

Hussein said investigations were ongoing and all six were being detained under the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985.

Under the Act, police can detain suspects for up to 60 days to complete investigations before a further detention order is issued.

He said JSJN would also share information obtained from the investigation with the Indonesian National Police (Polri).

The co-pilot was arrested at the International Arrivals Terminal of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after arriving from Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines flight MH727.

The arrest was made at about 11.30pm local time after Indonesian customs officers detected suspicious luggage during an X-ray scan and directed him to an inspection room after he collected the bag.

A search found 14 packets containing 70,114 ecstasy pills weighing about 25kg in the luggage, as well as four grammes of methamphetamine in his hand luggage, with the drugs estimated to be worth RM45 million.

Indonesian police said the co-pilot had allegedly been promised RM50,000 to transport the drugs to Jakarta before they were to be collected by another person from a hotel.