Sabah customs seize RM3.1 million worth of drugs in three separate operations at Tawau airport and Kota Kinabalu warehouse.
KOTA KINABALU: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department of Sabah successfully foiled attempts to distribute various types of drugs worth over RM3,153,650 through three separate seizures at the Tawau International Airport and the Pos Aviation Warehouse in Kota Kinabalu recently.
Sabah State Customs Director, Dr. Ahmad Taufik Sulaiman, said that at around 1:35 pm on May 11, officers on duty inspected luggage at the Tawau Airport after scanning images detected suspicious contents inside four bags at the Pos Aviation Warehouse.
“The team from the Tawau JKDM Enforcement Branch then conducted a physical inspection and discovered 142 ziplock airtight plastic bags containing clear crystals suspected to be methamphetamine.
“The total seizure is estimated to weigh 57.27 kilogrammes with a value of RM2,863,500,” he said during a press conference here today.
He added that the syndicate is believed to have used courier services by hiding the drugs in plastic bags before placing them in luggage to be sent to Tawau.
“In the second case, the Sabah JKDM Narcotics Branch seized a package suspected to contain 4,678 grammes of methamphetamine worth RM233,900 at the Pos Aviation Warehouse in Kota Kinabalu on May 11.
The seizure was made at around 1:00 pm before the package was brought to the Sabah Enforcement House for further investigation,” he said.
The syndicate is believed to have placed the drugs inside a white package before storing it in a box and sending it to Semporna via courier services.
Meanwhile, he noted that another seizure was made on May 8 involving 375 grammes of ecstasy pills worth RM56,250 at the Pos Aviation Warehouse in Kota Kinabalu.
He stated that inspections revealed the package was labeled as an electronic goods set to deceive the authorities.
“All three cases are being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which provides for the death penalty or life imprisonment, as well as whipping of not less than 12 strokes, upon conviction,” he said.
