Sabah Customs Dept seizes 30.4kg Syabu
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Customs Department detained two drug smuggling suspects at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport ( KKIA) and the Lahad Datu Airport last Sunday.
A total of 30.4 kilograms of Syabu worth RM1.67 million were seized from both suspects, both in their mid-20s, said Royal Malaysian Customs Department deputy director- general Datuk Zulkifli Yahya.
He said the first arrest was made at the KKIA when Customs officers detected suspicious items inside the suspect’s suitcase as it was going through a scanner.
“Customs officers then opened the suitcase and found 15 yellow tea bags with the brand name ‘ Guanyinwang’. Further inspection of the tea bags uncovered a total of 15.168 kg of Methamphetamine or syabu worth RM834,240.
“Following the arrest and interrogation of the suspect, Customs officers at KKIA immediately notified their Lahad Datu counterpart of an alleged drug smuggling attempt.
Customs officers then opened the suitcase and found 15 yellow tea bags with the brand name ‘Guanyinwang’. Further inspection of the tea bags uncovered a total of 15.168 kg of Methamphetamine or syabu worth RM834,240. Datuk Zulkifli Yahya, Royal Malaysian Customs Department deputy director-general
“Around 4.30pm the same day, Customs officers from Lahad Datu arrested a local man after finding 15.227kg of Methamphetamine or syabu worth RM837,485 inside 15 ‘Guanyinwang’ tea bags,” he said at a press conference at the Royal Malaysian Customs headquarters here yesterday.
Also present was Sabah Customs director Hamzah Sundang. According to Zulkifli, Customs officers believed both suspects are part of a drug syndicate as their modus operandi was similar.
Zulkif li said based on investigation, the first suspect arrived at KKIA on a Malaysian Airline flight from Kuala Lumpur, while the second suspect was also on a Malaysian Airlines f light from Kota Kinabalu.
Both suspects are currently being remanded to facilitate investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. Meanwhile, Zulkifli said in the first three months of this year, the Sabah Customs Department had stopped 11 attempts to smuggle drugs into the state through airports and courier.
“In March alone, three attempts were made to smuggle drugs, namely cannabis, using courier services.
“The first and second cases took place at the Kota Kinabalu Post Office courier services on March 16 and March 22, while the third case occurred at the Tawau Post Office courier services on March 19,” he said, adding that the cannabis seized from three cases weighed 2.955kg, 3.042kg and 1.003kg respectively, with total value of RM19,600.