BUKIT KAYU HITAM: The Customs Department foiled an attempt by a jobless man to smuggle in drugs valued at RM18.33mil here, its biggest haul this year. Weighing 198kg, the drugs were found hidden in fake speakers in his car boot. Officers from the department’s vehicle inspection and enforcement units stopped the Malaysian-registered car as it was entering the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex here at about 9.15am on Tuesday. The bulk of the drugs comprised heroin (154kg), with the others being methamphetamine (38kg) and ketamine (6kg). The methamphetamine was packed and disguised as Chinese tea, while the heroin and ketamine were packed into compact slabs. The driver’s passport showed that he had in the past crossed into Thailand several times.
Customs deputy director-general Datuk Zulkifli Yahya said the suspect, aged 26, and another jobless man who was arrested in Alor Setar later that day tested positive for methamphetamine. “They are believed to be from the same syndicate, and are being remanded until June 5, for investigations,” he told a press conference at the ICQS Complex yesterday. Zulkifli said the case was being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death sentence.
