SHAH ALAM, Aug 11 — The authorities say it is too early to determine whether an individual identified as an ‘insider’ was involved in the syndicate linked to the Malaysian pilot detained in Indonesia recently over a drug case.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the individual had been questioned, but investigations were still ongoing, and more evidence was needed to establish any involvement.
“We have called and questioned the individual and are satisfied with the statement given. It is still too early to say whether the insider was involved.
“If there are other individuals involved, we need solid evidence to establish this. At the same time, I am not ruling out the possibility of the insider being involved,” he said during a media conference today on the NCID's success in dismantling an international drug trafficking syndicate.
The 39-year-old Malaysian pilot was detained at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after allegedly attempting to smuggle 25kg of drugs. Indonesian police found 15 packages containing 70,114 ecstasy and methamphetamine pills worth an estimated RM45 million based on Indonesian market prices.
Hussein added that PDRM is tracing the syndicate’s network in Malaysia and abroad, including individuals linked to a telephone number allegedly used to contact the pilot. However, the number was registered under a false identity, making it difficult to trace its actual owner.
Meanwhile, four NCID officers arrived in Jakarta this morning to work with Indonesian authorities and are scheduled to interview the pilot tomorrow and on Thursday (August 13).
He noted that the interview will help investigators obtain further information and compare the pilot’s account with evidence gathered in Malaysia, while efforts continued to trace the international syndicate linked to the case.
On a separate case, Hussein said PDRM believed a Malaysian detained in Chennai, India, for possessing 4kg of cannabis had obtained the drugs from Bangkok.
The police had obtained the individual’s identity, nationality, and flight details, and will determine whether the person was linked to a Malaysian syndicate or recruited as a drug mule in Thailand or Malaysia.
