SEPANG: Police apprehended a cook with six prior criminal records and his accomplice attempting to smuggle 16.3 kg of methamphetamine valued at more than RM500,000 from the peninsula into Bintulu.
KLIA District police chief, Assistant Commissioner of Police Imran Abd Rahman said the 25-year-old cook was detained at the Terminal 2 Departure Hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Jan 21 at 2.05 am on suspicion of trying to smuggle eight kg of methamphetamine valued at RM264,000.
"An inspection of his luggage revealed eight transparent plastic packages of powder and crystals believed to be methamphetamine, wrapped up in clothes.
"The suspect was going to depart from KLIA Terminal 2 to Bintulu, Sarawak at 6.30 am that day," he said at a press conference, here today.
Imran said the suspect confessed that he came to Kuala Lumpur with a male friend on Jan 20, to obtain the drugs.
Imran said the accomplice, who left on an earlier flight, was arrested by the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department of the Miri District Police headquarters at 9 am, the same day.
Also seized from him were eight transparent plastic packages weighing 8.3 kg containing powder and crystals suspected to be methamphetamine worth RM274,000.
He said the duo's modus operandi was to wrap the drugs in clothes and go through the self-check-in service which is considered harder for detection.
Imran said the cook tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine, and he received RM8,000 per trip to smuggle the drugs into Sarawak.
The suspect was remanded for seven days to facilitate the investigation under Sections 39B and 5(1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, he said.
"We will continue the investigation with the help of the Selangor and Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Departments to track down the other members of the syndicate," he said. -- BERNAMA