KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — International drug trafficking syndicates are increasingly using peak-hour flights and last-minute check-ins at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to avoid detection by airport security, according to Bukit Aman.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said traffickers deliberately choose periods of heavy passenger traffic, hoping the large crowds will make it easier for drug mules to pass through security screening unnoticed.
“Among their tactics is checking in at the last minute or during peak hours,” he said.
Although syndicates also use land borders and maritime routes for smuggling activities, Hussein said airports remain the main transit points for international drug trafficking operations.
Police records show that 50 suspected drug mules were arrested at KLIA between last year and April this year, with Malaysians accounting for the highest number of those detained.
Hussein said criminal syndicates often recruit unsuspecting individuals by offering fake overseas job opportunities, fully sponsored holidays or attractive financial incentives.
Many victims are persuaded to carry sealed packages or luggage without knowing they contain illegal drugs. In other cases, traffickers conceal narcotics inside clothing, personal belongings or use body-packing methods to transport the substances.
He urged the public to remain cautious and avoid accepting suspicious travel offers or requests to carry baggage for others, stressing that drug trafficking offences in Malaysia carry severe penalties, including life imprisonment or the death penalty.
— MINUTESMY
— SOURCE: NEW STRAITS TIME
