Malaysian couriers face possible death penalty over $808,000 sedative pill haul at Kuching airport

Two Malaysian men could face the death penalty after police caught them with 32.73 kg of Erimin 5 pills worth RM3.3 million (US$808,000) at Kuching International Airport.

The suspects, aged 25 and 39 and both from the Sarawak city of Miri, had flown into the state capital from Senai International Airport in Johor, on the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia.

Officers from the state police's Narcotics Crime Investigation Department arrested them in the arrival hall on Sept. 28. and found the pills in their suitcases, acting Sarawak police commissioner Saifullizan Ishak told a press conference in Kuching on Oct. 9, The Star reported.

Erimin 5, also known as nimetazepam, is a depressant taken in tablet form, according to Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau. Police estimated the seized pills could have supplied up to 163,650 users.

Investigations found the pair had been active since August, sourcing drugs from Johor Bahru and flying them to Kuching on domestic flights for distribution in the city. Each man was paid RM5,000 ($1,220) per delivery, Saifullizan said.

"Police believe the syndicate is newly established, as both suspects admitted this was their second delivery," he said, as quoted by the New Straits Times. Their first shipment made it through, he added.

Police have also identified the person believed to have hired the two men and are tracking that individual down.

The 25-year-old, who is unemployed, tested positive for methamphetamine, amphetamine and benzodiazepines in a urine test, while the 39-year-old, a fisherman, tested negative for drugs.

The younger man has three previous records, one of them drug-related, and the older man has two criminal records, Bernama reported.

Death or decades in prison

The two were remanded for eight days from Sept. 30 and charged at the Kuching magistrates' court on Oct. 7 under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which covers drug trafficking.

If convicted, they face the death penalty or life imprisonment, plus at least 12 strokes of the cane if they are not sentenced to death, Saifullizan said.

Malaysia abolished the mandatory death penalty in 2023, leaving the sentence to judges' discretion for offenses including drug trafficking. The alternatives include whipping and prison terms of 30 to 40 years, Reuters reported when parliament passed the reforms.