Indonesia arrests second Malaysian in less than a week for drug smuggling
The 22-year-old was allegedly caught with nearly 1kg of methamphetamine and more than 1,000 ecstasy pills strapped to his body.
A person in handcuffs. (File photo: iStock)
SURABAYA: Indonesian authorities have arrested a second Malaysian in less than a week for allegedly smuggling methamphetamine and ecstasy into the country, a crime that carries the death penalty in the Southeast Asian nation.
A 22-year-old identified only as "DI" was detained in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, on Monday (Aug 3) shortly after landing on a flight from Kuala Lumpur, airport security task force head Novi Manunggal said in a statement.
Acting on a tipoff, officials at the airport found "methamphetamine and ecstasy pills attached to the suspect's body", Novi's statement said.
"DI" was found with four packs, or 990g, of crystal meth and four packets containing 1,089 ecstasy pills, he said.
The person has been charged with smuggling more than 5g of drugs, which in Indonesia carries a death sentence.
The authorities arrested a 39-year-old Malaysian pilot last week with more than 70,000 ecstasy tablets in his suitcase at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
The pilot had just flown a passenger plane from Malaysia, and subsequent tests returned positive results for several illegal drugs.
Indonesia has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers, but has maintained a moratorium on executions for several years.
The Muslim-majority country last carried out the death sentence for drug offences in 2016, when one Indonesian and three Nigerians were executed by firing squad.
