PUTRAJAYA, Oct 23 — The Royal Malaysian Customs Department has foiled three drug smuggling attempts involving 40.8kg of narcotics worth RM6.65 million in separate operations in Selangor and at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) last month.
Its deputy director-general (enforcement and compliance) Siti Mang said the success resulted from coordinated intelligence and swift action by the department’s Narcotics Branch.
In the first operation on September 12, acting on information from Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control, officers inspected a container at West Port, Port Klang, where the syndicate had allegedly concealed drugs among legitimate goods to avoid detection.
A K9-assisted search uncovered 25,740g of white powder suspected to be cocaine, estimated to be worth RM5.15 million, hidden in packages within a shipment declared as blood pressure monitoring devices bound for Australia.
In the second operation on September 11, Customs officers in Banting found 367g of 3,4- Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) worth RM61,289, two firearms, magazines, and live ammunition in an abandoned Toyota Camry in a housing area.
The third operation on September 3 at a courier warehouse in the KLIA Free Commercial Zone led to the seizure of 14.7kg of cannabis worth RM1.44 million, hidden in boxes declared as 'Kacang Kopi Hijau Robusta Gred Premium Semula Jadi' coffee beans.
All drug cases are being investigated under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment and a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.
In a separate raid last Wednesday (October 15), the department’s Trade Fraud Investigation Unit and Operational Battle Force Response Assault (Cobra) unit seized 8,869.4 litres of illicit liquor worth RM418,000 in Rawang, with losses in unpaid duties exceeding RM1.1 million under the Excise Act 1976.
