425 MALAYSIAN DRUG MULES HELD ABROAD
However, number of arrests declining due to policing efforts, says antinarcotics chief
ATOTAL of 425 Malaysian drug mules have been detained in 19 countries from 2013 to October, said federal Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) principal assistant director Senior Assistant Commissioner Zulkifli Ali.
Zulkifli, in an interview with Bernama recently, said Singapore arrested the highest number of Malaysian drug mules, with 175 people held in its prisons.
Next was Indonesia, where 85 Malaysians had been arrested, followed by Thailand (49), Australia (34) and Japan (21).
“In Latin American countries, such as Argentina and Brazil, two Malaysians are in custody each, while one is detained in Peru.”
However, he said, the number of Malaysian drug mules arrested abroad had been declining since 2016, with 101 detained that year.
The figure dropped to 58 last year and up to October, only 39 had been arrested abroad.
The decline was attributed to enforcement by the authorities, especially the police, against syndicates by carrying out operations to combat this crime.
Zulkifli said to avoid detection, Nigerian-led syndicates turned to social media to recruit victims.
“They (syndicates) use Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat and others to carry out drug-smuggling activities, specifically to recruit mules and avoid being detected by the authorities.”
He said international syndicates, often masterminded by African nationals, had been recruiting Malaysians, particularly women, by financing their flights to certain countries.
The women would be given RM2,000 as pocket money and promised a reward of between RM5,000 and RM10,000 once they succeeded in delivering their drugs.
“It is an easy way to earn money as it is the main factor for them to commit this crime, even though they are aware of the risks involved.
“The victims, either married to syndicate members or otherwise, will be asked to smuggle the drugs and they, too, will recruit their friends for the purpose.”
Zulkifli said based on intelligence, Nigerian nationals were believed to be the culprits in luring vulnerable Malaysian women.
Most of these syndicates were based in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and China.
The syndicate members entered the country using student passes or business visas to establish relationships with local women, and will win their hearts over to the extent of marrying them.
Zulkifli said Malaysians were also involved in smuggling drugs abroad using the “body packing” method, where the drugs were attached to the body using adhesive tape, glue or straps.
Last month, four locals were detained at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) for allegedly trying to smuggle out more than 4kg of syabu to South Korea.