KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — The 521 kilogrammes of methamphetamine seized aboard a private jet in Laos on October 1 did not originate from Malaysia but was instead believed to have been intended for smuggling from Laos to the Philippines.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said information from Laotian authorities showed that the chartered aircraft departed Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang for Luang Prabang without carrying any cargo.
He said the flight from Subang carried only three people — a Singaporean pilot, a Malaysian co-pilot and a Filipino passenger.
“The seized drugs were meant for the Manila market in the Philippines and not the Malaysian market. The aircraft departed from Subang Airport without any cargo before it was believed to have been used to transport the drug shipment from Laos to Manila,” he said in a statement tonight.
Elaborating on the timeline provided by Laotian authorities, Hussein said the private aircraft arrived at Luang Prabang International Airport at about 11.30 am local time on October 1.
“At 1.30 pm, two vehicles arrived at the airport area, and several airport staff subsequently assisted in transferring 23 bags from the vehicles onto trolleys to be loaded onto the aircraft.
“An inspection of all 23 bags uncovered 500 packages of drugs suspected to be methamphetamine weighing 521 kilogrammes,” he said.
Following the operation by Laotian authorities, 13 people were arrested, including the three people who had departed from Subang.
Also arrested were 10 Laotian nationals, comprising three airport ground-handling staff and seven personnel operating X-ray scanning machines. All the suspects are currently being held for further investigation by Laotian authorities.
Hussein said the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) had launched a comprehensive investigation and would send NCID officers to Laos in the near future to record statements from the suspects.
“This move aims to obtain further information regarding the drug syndicate involved, particularly the possible involvement of syndicate members in Malaysia,” he said.
The latest official statement clarifies the circumstances surrounding the seizure following initial reports linking the aircraft’s arrival from Malaysia to the discovery of drugs worth millions of ringgit.
