The Star/Asia News Network
Wednesday, Nov 16, 2011
SEPANG, Malaysia - A senior Customs officer is among four people arrested for allegedly being members of an international drug syndicate smuggling in millions of ringgit worth of syabu via the cargo complex at the airport here.
The 34-year-old officer who was just promoted and was attending a course was arrested when he landed at KLIA on Saturday.
He was arrested by his own colleagues and is being detained at the Sepang police station together with the other three.
It is learnt that the syndicate brought in drugs last week stashed inside amplifiers which they declared as personal items costing below RM500 (S$204) and not taxable.
When the consignment was about to leave the compound, a Customs officer stopped the lorry for inspection and asked the driver for the relevant forms and to open the box.
"The driver opened the box and when the officer lifted the amplifier, he found that not only was it heavy, there was also a powdery substance coming out from within.
"Further checks revealed it was drugs and when quizzed, the driver showed a text message on his mobile phone purportedly from the senior officer who asked for that particular consignment to be released," sources said.
They said a team went to the address stated on the import document located in Seri Kembangan and found it to be unoccupied and locked.
They then raided several places before picking up the forwarding company manager and another driver who also received the SMS allegedly from the senior officer.
Customs officers are investigating if there were previous consignments with similar instructions to release goods from the cargo complex by the officer.
When contacted, Customs director-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Khalid Yusuf confirmed that a senior customs officer had been detained by the department for suspicion of involvement in drug smuggling activities.
Wednesday, Nov 16, 2011
SEPANG, Malaysia - A senior Customs officer is among four people arrested for allegedly being members of an international drug syndicate smuggling in millions of ringgit worth of syabu via the cargo complex at the airport here.
The 34-year-old officer who was just promoted and was attending a course was arrested when he landed at KLIA on Saturday.
He was arrested by his own colleagues and is being detained at the Sepang police station together with the other three.
It is learnt that the syndicate brought in drugs last week stashed inside amplifiers which they declared as personal items costing below RM500 (S$204) and not taxable.
When the consignment was about to leave the compound, a Customs officer stopped the lorry for inspection and asked the driver for the relevant forms and to open the box.
"The driver opened the box and when the officer lifted the amplifier, he found that not only was it heavy, there was also a powdery substance coming out from within.
"Further checks revealed it was drugs and when quizzed, the driver showed a text message on his mobile phone purportedly from the senior officer who asked for that particular consignment to be released," sources said.
They said a team went to the address stated on the import document located in Seri Kembangan and found it to be unoccupied and locked.
They then raided several places before picking up the forwarding company manager and another driver who also received the SMS allegedly from the senior officer.
Customs officers are investigating if there were previous consignments with similar instructions to release goods from the cargo complex by the officer.
When contacted, Customs director-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Khalid Yusuf confirmed that a senior customs officer had been detained by the department for suspicion of involvement in drug smuggling activities.
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