JAKARTA: Three Malaysians have been arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1kg crystal methamphetamine or syabu into the country.
The suspects, identified only as SS and KS, both 30, and TS, 26, are believed to be members of an international drug ring that also works with a local dealer in Makassar, South Sulawesi, who is still at large.
All three have been charged under Article 114 of the 2009 Narcotics Law, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
They have also been charged under Law No.17/2006 on customs and immigration violations.
South Sulawesi Police narcotics director Sr Comr Eka Yudha Satriawan said Thursday that the case unfolded when customs officers detained SS shortly after he landed at the Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar from Kuala Lumpur on Monday afternoon.
“Suspicious” items were detected in his suitcase as it passed through the airport’s X-ray machine.
“We immediately examined them and found packages containing white crystals. After conducting a narcotics test, the items proved to be methamphetamine or Syabu weighing 1.078kg,” said Makassar Customs Services and Surveillance Office head Gusmiadirrahman.
The contraband was packed in plastic bags labelled “coconut peanut”.
SS allegedly told investigators that he had been instructed to hand over the packages to KS and TS, who were staying at a hotel in Makassar.
