Courier companies will be required to strengthen parcel screening procedures and increase coordination with enforcement agencies.
SHAH ALAM: Courier companies will be required to strengthen parcel screening procedures and increase coordination with enforcement agencies following cases of courier networks being misused for illegal activities, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
He said the government has been informed of incidents in which loopholes in courier handling processes were exploited by criminal groups to move prohibited items through delivery channels.
“If there are loopholes in courier processes that have been misused, we are asking the courier sector to be aware, take note and immediately resolve them,”Fahmi said after the National Courier Day celebration in Shah Alam yesterday.
During his speech, he said the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department had alerted the ministry to cases in which courier networks were exploited to move illicit substances, prompting the government to push for closer cooperation between delivery firms and law enforcement agencies.
“We were informed by police that there have been incidents in which courier services were misused by those involved in drug trafficking.
“So, there is a need for us to work more closely and more rigorously to prevent criminals from taking advantage of the courier networks in our country.”
Fahmi said the misuse was not limited to narcotics distribution as the ministry had also received reports from NGOs on the delivery of protected and endangered wildlife, including snakes, through courier services.
“So, cooperation must not only involve Customs and police but also NGOs.”
The event also saw the launch of the Code of Practice for Postal Services, which Fahmi said would serve as a baseline operational framework for postal and courier companies to follow.
He said the code outlines expectations on service quality, worker safety, consumer protection and security safeguards.
“Courier operators will be given time to review and adopt the code, with coordination to be managed by the Postal Forum,”added Fahmi.
