[UPDATED] Police to send team to Japan after five Malaysians arrested over 5kg cocaine hidden in shoe insoles

KUALA LUMPUR: Police will send an investigation team to Japan following the arrest of five Malaysians after 5kg of cocaine was found hidden in their shoe insoles at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Oct 10.

Federal Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the team would gather information about the arrests, including details of local and international drug syndicate networks.

He said Japanese authorities were also investigating the source of the cocaine and working to identify syndicate members and international drug trafficking networks.

"Japanese authorities have informed NCID about the arrest of two Malaysian men and three women at Haneda Airport on Oct 10.

"Their customs officers found 5kg of cocaine hidden in the insoles of shoes worn by all five suspects," he said in a statement.

The confirmation clarifies earlier reports that four men and one woman had been arrested in the case.

Hussein said checks on travel records showed that six Malaysians had departed together from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 2 for Haneda on Oct 9 for a holiday.

However, only five were detained by Japanese authorities, while the sixth was not arrested and has since returned to Malaysia.

He said NCID had identified all six people, aged between 19 and 26, including the person who had returned to Malaysia.

"Five of them are from Sarawak, and checks showed that none had any previous criminal record," he said.

Hussein advised the public to be wary of holiday offers, particularly those involving requests to carry other people's bags or belongings overseas.

He also urged the public not to accept or carry items without knowing their contents, to avoid being exploited as drug mules.

Anyone with information on drug-related activities can contact the NCID hotline at 012-208 7222.

Japanese media had earlier reported that five Malaysians were arrested after customs officers found cocaine concealed in shoe insoles when they arrived at Haneda Airport.

According to TBS News DIG, each suspect was believed to have been carrying about 1kg of cocaine, with two 500g packages concealed in each shoe.

The report also quoted a suspect as saying that he had been offered payment of RM8,000 per person to transport drugs overseas through the Telegram messaging app.

Japanese media estimated the total value of the seized cocaine around 120 million yen (RM3.1 million).

Meanwhile, Tokyo Reporter, citing a Nippon News Network (NNN) report on Oct 12, claimed that one of the five Malaysians arrested had been detained alongside his wife and several friends.

However, the police have yet to confirm whether two of the suspects are married.