The royal malaysia police (pdrm) have found that drug trafficking syndicates operating by air to europe frequently use members of the public as drug mules:he Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) have found that drug trafficking syndicates operating by air to Europe frequently use members of the public as drug mules, particularly to transport cannabis flowers, which are in high demand on the continent. Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department Director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said, however, that not all pilots arrested for involvement in drug smuggling were transporting drugs to Europe.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, as far as authorities know, only one or two pilots were involved. Among them was a co-pilot arrested in Jakarta, Indonesia. The co-pilot reportedly travelled to Australia and Indonesia, not Europe. Smuggling to Europe mostly involves drug mules from the general public.
Bukit Aman highlighted that most air-based drug trafficking cases involving Europe centred on cannabis flowers due to the high demand for the illicit substance in the market. Datuk Hussein Omar Khan urged the public to be wary of offers from syndicates promising lucrative payments, including free flight tickets or holiday packages, or asking them to transport certain luggage overseas. He stressed that it is unusual for someone to offer large sums of money to cover such expenses and advised citizens not to fall prey to these offers.
On how drug trafficking syndicates manage to bypass security controls at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Hussein said he could not elaborate as the Home Ministry is reviewing measures to strengthen security at all the country's entry and exit points. He added that drug trafficking syndicates were becoming increasingly sophisticated and were exploiting various routes, including air, sea, and land.
Hussein noted that apart from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), PDRM had also recorded arrests linked to drug smuggling activities at Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh. An incident reported yesterday by Bernama involved the detention of a man to assist in investigations into the drug-related arrest of a Malaysian co-pilot in Jakarta last July. The co-pilot was detained by Indonesian authorities at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on suspicion of attempting to smuggle 25 kilogrammes of drugs. The Indonesian National Police (POLRI) subsequently found 15 packages containing 70,114 ecstasy pills and methamphetamine, with an estimated value of RM45 million.