S$4k offer lands Singaporean in RM1.5mil cannabis bust

IPOH: A 29-year-old Singaporean man was arrested with 19.04kg of cannabis worth RM1.52 million after accepting an offer of S$4,000 (RM12,690) to transport luggage to London.

Perak police chief Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin said the suspect was detained at Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (LTSAS) here at 6.20am on Sunday.

He said auxiliary police personnel spotted the suspicious luggage during a routine inspection at the airport's check-in counter.

"The suspect was scheduled to fly from Ipoh to Singapore before continuing his journey to London, England.

"An inspection of his Caggioni-branded luggage uncovered 36 plastic packets containing dried leaves suspected to be cannabis," he said at a press conference at the Perak Police Contingent Headquarters today.

Alwi said the drugs weighed 19.04kg and were estimated to be worth RM1.52 million. The amount was sufficient to supply 47,900 drug users.

He said initial investigations found that the suspect had responded to an online job offer promising an attractive payment to transport luggage allegedly containing high-quality counterfeit luxury goods to London.

"The suspect claimed he was told that the luggage contained counterfeit goods and that he had not opened it.

"We believe the syndicate's modus operandi was to lure people with lucrative job offers before exploiting them as drug mules to transport drugs overseas on commercial flights," he said.

Alwi said the suspect had flown from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur before travelling to Kajang, where police believed he had collected the drugs from a supplier.

"He then travelled to Ipoh by Grab and checked into a hotel here. He arrived on Saturday and was arrested the following morning," he said.

He said the syndicate appeared to have targeted less busy airports, including Ipoh, to smuggle drugs overseas.

"There is only one daily flight from Ipoh to Singapore, and the suspect's journey was connected to an onward flight to London.

"Had he managed to check in the luggage, he could have continued his journey to London," he said.

Alwi said the suspect was unemployed and had been promised S$4,000 to transport the luggage.

He added that a preliminary urine screening found no traces of drugs in the suspect's system. Checks also revealed that he had no previous criminal record.

The man has been remanded for seven days from yesterday, he said, adding that this was the second drug-smuggling incident involving LTSAS recorded this year.

The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. The offence carries the death penalty or life imprisonment and whipping of at least 12 strokes upon conviction.

Alwi said the seizure was the result of continuous intelligence-gathering by the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID), coupled with cooperation from members of the public.

"Police will not compromise with any party involved in possessing or trafficking drugs, or protecting drug-related activities, as these are serious offences under the law.

"The NCID remains committed to combating drugs to protect present and future generations. Drugs are the country's number one enemy," he said