Indonesia arrests Malaysian pilot for allegedly smuggling 26kg of MDMA; risks death penalty
The pilot had just flown a Malaysia Airlines plane from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, and was found to have been under the influence of cocaine and methamphetamine after a urine test.
Indonesian customs officials display the uniform of a Malaysian pilot and the drugs he smuggled, during a press conference at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, near Jakarta on Jul 31, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Ramu)
JAKARTA: Indonesia arrested a Malaysian pilot who allegedly smuggled 26kg of the mind-altering drug MDMA into the capital Jakarta while on the job and under the influence of drugs, the customs office said on Friday (Jul 31).
The pilot, 39, was arrested on Wednesday at Jakarta's main airport.
The pilot, who was identified by the initials MS, had just flown a Malaysia Airlines plane from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, said customs officer Hengky Tomuan Parlindungan Aritonang in a press conference on Friday.
"What concerns all of us is that this person's profession is a pilot, and at the time he arrived, he had just flown that plane from Kuala Lumpur to Indonesia," he said.
Named a criminal suspect, the pilot had brought MDMA in a suitcase to Jakarta at the request of an unidentified person with the promise of a RM50,000 (US$12,240) reward, the customs office said.
Customs officials found 14 bags of ecstasy - more than 70,000 tablets - in the pilot's suitcase, and 4g of methamphetamine in his hand luggage.
The pilot had been under the influence of cocaine and methamphetamine after a urine test, Hengky said, adding that Indonesia and Malaysian authorities are in communication.
It was the third time the man had smuggled drugs to Indonesia, according to Awaludin Amin, an officer for the national police's drugs crime unit.
Awaludin said the police strongly suspected that the pilot is part of an international syndicate, and he had been charged with violating Indonesia's drugs law.
Under the law, he risks the death penalty or a life sentence if found guilty.
Malaysia Airlines declined to comment on the case as it was under investigation, but said it does not tolerate any form of misconduct and is currently conducting an internal review into the matter. The company added that it will cooperate with relevant authorities.
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.
There are dozens of foreign alleged traffickers on death row, hundreds altogether.
Indonesia last carried out the death sentence in 2016, when one Indonesian and three Nigerians convicted of drug offences were executed by firing squad.
Two British men were sentenced in March to nine and 11 years in prison respectively after they were found guilty of smuggling cocaine onto the tourist island of Bali.
