International drug rings eyeing other airports as KLIA steps up scrutiny [WATCH]

KUALA LUMPUR: International drug syndicates are shifting their attention to other Malaysian airports as enforcement intensifies at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Syndicates are now targeting Bayan Lepas International Airport in Penang, Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Sabah and airports in Ipoh, Perak, and Miri, Sarawak.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said intelligence revealed that syndicates were looking for alternative routes.

"We have detected attempts to use alternative airports. When a route becomes more difficult to exploit, syndicates will try to find alternative routes.

"Based on NCID's intelligence, there are indications that syndicates have begun looking at other airports as alternatives following increased controls at KLIA," he said in an exclusive interview recently.

The shift comes amid a sharp increase in drug cases detected at KLIA.

Between January and July, 108 cases were detected, compared with 54 in the corresponding period last year, while the number of arrests more than doubled from 57 to 121.

Hussein said drug seizures at KLIA jumped to 1,353.41kg this year compared with 235.36kg in the same period last year.

"That is nearly a six-fold increase. This year's haul is worth about RM108.35 million," he said, adding that the rise in seizures should not be interpreted as a weakness in airport security.

He said the large scale detections and seizures reflected improved intelligence, surveillance and continuous enforcement.

He said NCID did not regard drug trafficking through airports solely as a KLIA problem.

"International air entry points are assessed according to their risk levels, travel patterns, intelligence and changes in syndicate modus operandi.

"We also consider the possibility that syndicates may test airports with lower passenger volumes or fewer international flights," he said, adding that traffickers did not always seek out the busiest airports.

He said their decisions could be based on perceived enforcement risks, security controls, flight schedules and opportunities to evade detection.

"That is why NCID does not depend on monitoring one airport alone and continuously adjusts its enforcement strategy based on intelligence developments."

The spotlight on drug trafficking through Malaysia's international airports intensified after a Malaysia Airlines pilot was arrested at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on July 31 with about 25kg of drugs.

Indonesian authorities seized 70,114 capsules believed to contain ecstasy and methamphetamine, worth about RM45 million.

Investigations found that the drugs were believed to have been obtained in the Klang Valley.

The case prompted closer scrutiny of security and enforcement at international airports nationwide, amid concerns that syndicates could exploit aviation networks, airport procedures and drug couriers to move narcotics across borders.

Police have also arrested another pilot who acted as the moneyman, controlling the flow of cash between the drug syndicate and the other pilot.

He is being held under a 60-day detention order under the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act.