Customs Dept foils largest attempts to smuggle drugs into Sarawak via Kuching International Airport

Herman Shah (centre) and his senior officers pose with the marijuana during the press conference.

KUCHING (May 3): The Customs Department has foiled two of the largest attempts this year to smuggle drugs into the state through Kuching International Airport (KIA).

Customs Sarawak director Herman Shah Abdullah told a press conference today the first attempt occurred on April 28, when a Customs officer inspected two bags registered under a local woman who had arrived from Kuala Lumpur at 3.25pm.

Herman Shah said the Customs officer found that scans of the baggage were suspicious and decided to conduct a thorough inspection.

“The inspection soon discovered 18 packages wrapped in present and carbon paper, and the contents of the packages were suspected to be marijuana,” he said.

He added that the suspected drugs in the packages were further wrapped in four layers, namely two layers of transparent plastic, a layer of carbon paper, and another layer of gold-coloured paper.

Herman Shah said the 18 packages contained about 18.26kg of suspected marijuana with an estimated street value of RM45,660.

He said the 27-year-old woman, who had supposedly spent a week in Kuala Lumpur to care for her mother in hospital, claimed her friend had requested she bring the bags to Kuching.

The woman, who worked as a part-time insurance agent, had been offered a job with a company in Serian after she completed her quarantine order, he added.

Herman Shah said the modus operandi in this case was to use a domestic flight from Kuala Lumpur to enter Kuching with the packages being wrapped in present and carbon paper to hoodwink the enforcement personnel.

He said the suspect was remanded for seven days on April 29 and the investigation is being carried out by the Customs Department investigation branch in Kuching and the state Narcotics branch.

Photo shows some of the packages containing marijuana, which were seized at KIA.

On the second attempt to smuggle drugs into the state, Herman Shah said a Customs officer at KIA on May 1 at around 1.45pm inspected an unclaimed bag, which had arrived from Kuala Lumpur on April 2, whose owner is believed to be undergoing quarantine upon arriving in the city.

“The results of the inspection discovered 19 packages suspected to contain marijuana inside the bag,” he said, adding that the packages contained about 18.69kg of suspected marijuana with an estimated street value of RM 46,730.

“It is believed the bag was intentionally left unattended and unclaimed after the individual involved realised the strict monitoring and inspections conducted by the Customs Department at the airport,” he said.

He did not discount the possibility that both cases were related and that the drugs seized in both cases were meant for local consumption.

“We will be tracking the baggage owner based on flight records and the Customs Department is confident that an arrest will be made soon,” he said.

He added both cases are being investigated under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

Herman Shah said the enforcement operations conducted by the department were part of a special operation codenamed ‘Operation Mekong Dragon III’, which was conducted in cooperation with the World Customs Organisation and Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific.

For this year, he said the department had foiled two attempts to smuggle marijuana and four attempts to smuggle methamphetamine into the state.

“We have instructed for all entry points at Kuching International Airport and other local airports to be tightened, as well as other land borders. Baggage coming in from Kuala Lumpur or from Kuching to other divisions will now be screened and inspected,” he said.

He urged passengers to provide their fullest cooperation during baggage inspections to foil to any attempts to smuggle illicit drugs into the state.

Herman Shah also called on the public to report any smuggling activities involving cigarettes, hard liquor, fireworks, illicit drugs, and vehicles, among others.

Those with any information on smuggling can contact the toll-free Customs hotline on 1-800-888855 or visit the nearest Customs office. The identity of the informant will be kept confidential.

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