A Bukit Aman team tasked with questioning a Malaysian pilot detained in Jakarta on suspicion of drug trafficking has obtained new leads on syndicates with local and international links.
Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) chief Hussein Omar Khan said Indonesian National Police (Polri) had given Malaysian officers full cooperation in facilitating access to the pilot.
“The NCID team received very good cooperation from Polri to meet and question the subject,” Hussein (above) said when contacted today.
He said the questioning was initially scheduled for Aug 12 and 13, but Indonesian police allowed the Malaysian team an additional day after the sessions progressed well.
“The meetings went well. Polri gave us room for another day of meetings, extending them until Aug 14.
“The subject (pilot) also gave good cooperation,” he said.
Hussein said information obtained during the first two days had helped investigators identify syndicates operating in Malaysia and abroad, as well as the pilot’s alleged involvement in their networks.
“The NCID team managed to obtain information on the syndicates involved in Malaysia and overseas, as well as the subject’s alleged involvement in domestic and international drug syndicate networks,” he said.
He also said the information would assist Malaysian police in tracking down suspected syndicate members in the country and allow Bukit Aman to share intelligence on international drug trafficking networks with enforcement agencies in the relevant countries.
Hussein said investigators had also obtained information on how the pilot allegedly managed to pass through security checks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, as well as the syndicate’s financial flows in Malaysia and abroad.
Tracing source
The latest development comes after police earlier said their investigation was focused on tracing the source of the drugs in Malaysia, determining how the baggage allegedly passed through KLIA security checks and establishing possible links to international syndicates.
On Aug 4, Hussein reportedly said investigations showed the pilot had received the drugs at an apartment in Ampang two days before his flight.
Police had also traced a telephone number allegedly used by the pilot to contact the syndicate.
“We have also traced the contact number he used to reach out to the syndicate. The police are investigating the entire distribution network,” Hussein was quoted as saying at the time.
The investigation into how the luggage passed through KLIA has also involved airport security personnel, with police recording statements as part of efforts to determine whether there was any assistance from within the airport.
Drugs discovered
The 39-year-old pilot was arrested at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on July 28 after Indonesian authorities discovered drugs in his luggage upon his arrival from Kuala Lumpur.
Indonesian authorities said the seizure included 70,114 ecstasy pills weighing about 26kg and a small quantity of methamphetamine.
They also alleged that the pilot had been promised RM50,000 to transport the drugs.
Indonesian investigators have further alleged that the pilot had previously transported drugs on other occasions, including a shipment of methamphetamine to Jakarta.
Authorities also said the pilot tested positive for methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine following his arrest.
Soekarno-Hatta Customs chief Hengky Tomuan Parlindungan Aritonang said the results indicated the pilot had consumed narcotics.
Malaysia Airlines later clarified that the pilot was not operating the Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta flight but was travelling in the cockpit jump seat as an observer.
The airline said he was not the pilot flying the aircraft.
Suspicious contents
Indonesian authorities said the drugs were first detected after X-ray screening flagged suspicious contents in the pilot’s suitcase, prompting a further physical inspection.
The pilot’s lawyer Ahmad Rizky Martua Lubis told Malaysiakini yesterday that substantive questioning by the Malaysian officers had been completed on Wednesday, with subsequent proceedings involving the preparation of reports.
He also confirmed that family members had been allowed to meet the pilot, who is now under an extended detention order of up to four months.
Rizky stressed that the defence team was prepared to facilitate cooperation between its client and Malaysian police, but wanted safeguards for the pilot and his family. - Mkini
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