‘Nasi ganja’ pickup done properly, says chopper owner

 

The owner of the helicopter says he is letting his lawyers handle the matter.

PETALING JAYA: The owner of the helicopter that picked up 36 packs of “nasi ganja” at Ipoh Padang says he will leave it to the police to investigate the legality of the flight, and that “all papers were in order”.

Mohamed Raffe Chekku told FMT: “I have nothing much to say except that it was a quick pick-up. I have appointed my lawyers to handle the matter and we will give our full cooperation.”

Raffe, managing director of the KL-Kuala Selangor Expressway (LATAR), found himself in the spotlight after social media spread the high-flying story of a special “nasi ganja” order that was picked up by a Bell 505 helicopter at the Ipoh Padang.

Netizens had questioned if the flight was authorised by the relevant agencies at a time when movement restrictions were in place.

A senior pilot who operates a helicopter service company said the flight is unlikely to have broken lockdown restrictions as the air space is not closed.

He said the interstate helicopter trip must have been legitimate as long as the operator had an approved flight plan from the Civil Aviaition Authority of Malaysia, a police permit to travel and an approval letter from the international trade and industry ministry (Miti).

No pilot would have taken off without all the necessary documents, he said, as the implications would be serious in the event of a mishap.

Another senior pilot said the story that is going around in the aviation fraternity is that the helicopter, which was leased by its owner to Systematic Air Services (SAS), has apparently been operating out of Tanjung Rambutan to ferry medical staff to the interior to vaccinate the Orang Asli.

“As far as we know, SAS had been given the contract and were carrying this out over the last month or so. From what they claim, the chopper was picking up the 36 packs on the return trip to Subang,” he told FMT.

He said helicopters can land anywhere as long as local air traffic controllers give clearance, which they normally do as long as there is no security or safety threat.

The pilot said he himself had landed at the Ipoh Padang “dozens of times” to load or offload equipment or passengers in the course of his other assignments.

“So, frankly, I am not sure what all the excitement is about as what they did was perfectly legal provided the ATC had given them the clearance. The company obviously must have had inter-state travel permission as the government contracted them for the vaccination drive,” he said.

Asked if it was right to do this at a time when many Malaysians were struggling for food during the pandemic, he said in a way, the whole episode showed that it was helping all sectors with some business.

Yesterday, a news report said police would record statements from several individuals, including the Datuk, in connection with the incident.

Perak police chief Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said police had identified the individuals and the company involved and would record their statements soon.

“We have also called up the owner of the ‘nasi ganja’ outlet to facilitate the investigation,” he said.

SAS chief executive officer Ida Adora Ismail said in a statement none of its crew were involved in picking up the food packs.

“While we confirm that the aircraft is under a leasing agreement with us, the Ipoh flight was a private one flown by the owner and his passenger from Subang Airport to Ipoh and back.”

Civil aviation authorities have started investigations to determine whether the helicopter had violated local aviation regulations. - FMT