Customs foil attempted smuggling of ketamine
SEPANG: The KL International Airport (KLIA) Customs Department quashed an attempt to smuggle more than 5kg of ketamine into the country on Aug 27 with the arrest of an Indian national.
KLIA Customs director Datuk Chik Omar Chik Lim said the 46year-old suspect was arrested at the arrival hall.
The male Indian national, who is a sales promoter, had just arrived from Chennai, India.
“We managed to intercept the attempt to smuggle drugs into the country based on surveillance and intelligence,” he said in a press conference yesterday, adding that customs officers found 5.05kg of ketamine worth RM227,250 stashed in a special compartment in his luggage bag.
“The officers on duty stopped him when an X-ray scan of his luggage revealed suspicious-looking substance,” he said.
Chik Omar said the suspect has entered the country twice this year.
“The sales promoter first entered the country in July and we believe he was scouting the market in the country at that moment while at the same time learning the intricacies of the airport,” he added.
The suspect has been remanded for 12 days to facilitate investigations under Section 39(B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
This is the second success in a month after KLIA Customs foiled an attempt to smuggle 111kg of ivory tusks, worth an estimated RM946,698,