SEPANG: Customs officers have foiled multiple attempts to smuggle 30.14 kilogrammes (kg) of drugs estimated to be worth RM2.65 million through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
KLIA Customs director Zulkifli Muhammad said that on April 17, a man was arrested for trying to smuggle out 14.65 kg of cannabis buds worth almost RM1.44 million in his checked baggage on a flight to a European country.
He said the man was subjected to a baggage inspection after his travel was blocked by the Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) due to a blacklist record.
“During the baggage scan, the man attempted to flee but was apprehended by Customs personnel.
“The inspection found that the cannabis buds were packed in vacuum-sealed plastic to avoid detection,“ he told a press conference today.
Zulkifli said on May 16, Customs found 5.31 kg of ecstasy worth almost RM900,000 that was being smuggled in through a consignment at a cargo terminal operator in the KLIA Free Trade Zone.
He said the drugs, believed to have originated from a European country, were packaged and declared as laptop components.
Then, on May 24, he said that 10.18 kg of syabu, worth nearly RM300,000, concealed in a consignment along with clothing, was also intercepted.
He said investigations into both drug shipments are underway, but face obstacles as the smugglers were likely using fake company names and addresses.
“We have gone to the (premises) as declared in the consignment information, but the company either does not exist or is using someone else’s address,“ he said.
