Drug mule detained at KKIA, 24.5 kg of methamphetamine seized

KOTA KINABALU (Nov 12): Police foiled an attempt to smuggle 24.5 kilogrammes of methamphetamine into Sabah at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) recently.

According to Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun, a 24-year-old local man was arrested while trying to smuggle the drugs into Sabah on Nov 7 at 8.30am at KKIA.

Jauteh said the man was arrested by police upon his arrival at KKIA.

He said the drug mule, a Sabah native, was found carrying the drugs in a bag that he brought onboard the flight as a hand-carry.

“Acting on intelligence regarding the activities of a drug syndicate, a police team from the Kota Kinabalu Airport Narcotics Unit, together with the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department from the Sabah Police Headquarters, monitored a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu.

“A 24-year-old man, who works as a food delivery person and is believed to be involved in drug distribution, was arrested with two bags. Upon inspection, the bags contained 23 boxes of food packaging.

“Further checks revealed 24.5 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, estimated to be worth RM800,000 at the local market price,” he said at a press conference at the Sabah police headquarters.

Jauteh said that during interrogation, the suspect led to the arrest of a 28-year-old local man who works as an insurance agent and is believed to be one of the masterminds behind the drug distribution syndicate in Sabah.

“The police are continuing their investigations to identify how the suspect obtained the drugs from Peninsular Malaysia.

“We are also focusing on investigating how the suspect managed to bring the drugs into the state via flight,” he said.

Jauteh added that this arrest was a success for the Sabah narcotics police in busting a syndicate that used commercial flights for its operations.

“Based on the interrogation of the first suspect, the police do not rule out the possibility that he may have been involved in past crimes, as he admitted to having previously smuggled drugs into a neighboring state, worth RM10,000.

“The first suspect is believed to have acted as a drug mule, tasked with retrieving drugs from Kuala Lumpur and delivering them to locations designated by the higher-ups of the syndicate.

“Investigations also revealed that the drugs brought from Peninsular Malaysia were intended for the local market, which could be distributed to 81,000 users,” he said.

He added that the police are confident there will be follow-up arrests in the state.

The suspect is currently in police custody, and the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries a mandatory death sentence or life imprisonment upon conviction.