Customs foils attempt to smuggle over 6kg of cocaine at KLIA

Customs department central zone enforcement operations director Wong Pun Sian said the drugs were found inside seven cosmetic boxes. (Bernama pic)

PUTRAJAYA: The customs department (JKDM) has foiled an attempt to smuggle in 6.13kg of cocaine worth RM1.22 million that was hidden inside the hand carry luggage of a passenger at KLIA’s Terminal 1, in Sepang, on Jan 9.

JKDM’s central zone enforcement operations director Wong Pun Sian said the drugs were found inside seven cosmetic boxes containing gel-like substances that looked like soap.

The boxes were inside the hand carry luggage brought in by a French passenger who arrived on a flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Initial investigations revealed that the substance found inside the luggage was cocaine.

“The modus operandi of the syndicate is to conceal the soap-like drugs inside cosmetic boxes of various colours to fool the authorities. The hand carry luggage containing the drugs was brought in by a senior passenger who was travelling to Malaysia alone,” Wong said in a statement.

The individual was detained for investigations under Section 39B(1)(b) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries the mandatory death penalty or life imprisonment and not less than 12 strokes of the rotan if the death penalty is not meted out, upon conviction.

Wong said based on the weight, the drugs seized could fix the cravings of 30,685 addicts. - FMT