SHAH ALAM, Aug 16 — A Malaysian pilot arrested for smuggling more than 26kg of drugs into Indonesia last month is believed to have made drug runs to other countries since 2024, said Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan.
The information emerged after an NCID team questioned the pilot in Jakarta, Hussein told Harian Metro today.
“(The suspect) has been involved since 2024, with his role being to transport drugs out of the country to a few destinations according to his flight schedule. This is not the first time because he has already taken drugs to several countries several times.
“The pilot had also provided information on several drug syndicates operating in Malaysia and other countries, including Indonesia,” he added.
Hussein said the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) would investigate identified syndicate members, including cash flows linked to drug sales, while information on the international network would be shared with enforcement agencies in the countries involved.
“Questioning found no indication of insider involvement at KLIA. This means he acted alone when passing through the checks, and this matter needs to be examined further to determine how the drugs went undetected,” he said.
Hussein said the pilot remains under Indonesian National Police (POLRI) custody and must undergo legal proceedings in Indonesia. He also declined to comment on the possibility of extradition to Malaysia.
The 39-year-old pilot was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten on July 29, after arriving from Kuala Lumpur on flight MH727.
Indonesian customs officers detected suspicious contents in his luggage via X-ray scan at around 11.30pm local time. An inspection found 14 packages containing 70,114 ecstasy pills weighing about 25kg, along with 4g of methamphetamine in his hand luggage. The drugs were estimated to be worth RM45 million.
According to POLRI, the pilot was allegedly promised RM50,000 to transport the drugs to Jakarta, where someone was supposed to collect them at a hotel.
Hussein said the number of previous drug deliveries, destination countries and payments allegedly received by the pilot since 2024 remain under investigation.
