Jakarta extends detention of Malaysian pilot in drug probe

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian pilot detained in Jakarta over a drug trafficking investigation remains in custody after Indonesian authorities extended his detention beyond the initial 60-day period.

Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said Malaysian police had been updated on the latest developments by their Indonesian counterparts.

"The case is still under investigation. They (Indonesian police) have extended his detention period," he said when contacted.

Hussein said the pilot is now being held for another 30 days.

"This can be extended for another 30 days," Hussein said.

He said a second pilot and six others arrested in Malaysia over links to a drug syndicate connected to the first pilot's arrest have been placed under 60-day detention orders under the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act.

The development comes amid investigations by Indonesian and Malaysian authorities into the involvement of Malaysian aviation personnel in drug trafficking.

In July, a 39-year-old Malaysia Airlines pilot was arrested at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport with about 25kg of drugs contained in some 70,000 capsules.

Later, the NCID arrested six Malaysians and a second pilot in connection with the case.

The six men were believed to have supplied drugs to the pilot, while the second pilot, in his 30s, is believed to have been involved in the flow of money between the syndicate and the Malaysia Airlines pilot.