MALAYSIANS detained overseas on suspicion of drug trafficking have provided intelligence that has helped Malaysian authorities uncover wider criminal networks and make several arrests, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
He said Malaysia was using police-to-police cooperation and ASEAN platforms to gain access to its citizens detained abroad and interview them, allowing authorities to trace possible links to organised drug syndicates.
“Through questioning them, we uncovered much more information. Based on that information, we have made several arrests,” he said.
Saifuddin said authorities were seeking to establish whether those detained were acting alone or as part of organised criminal networks, as Malaysia stepped up cooperation with foreign enforcement agencies to disrupt cross-border drug trafficking.
Malaysia respected the sovereignty and laws of countries where its citizens were detained, he said, but strong ties between enforcement agencies had enabled Malaysian authorities to obtain access to the suspects.
He was speaking to reporters after the handover ceremony for the completed Regional Three Marine Police Headquarters project at Tok Bali in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan
Saifuddin was commenting on an international media report that a 62-year-old Malaysian man had been detained by Chennai Customs in India after allegedly attempting to smuggle 3.452 kilogrammes of hydroponic cannabis worth about 1.20 crore (RM520,000) into the country on Aug 31.
Separately, Saifuddin said Malaysia was tightening security at its entry points, particularly airports, following several cases in which Malaysians left the country before being detained at their destinations.
The Home Ministry and Transport Ministry have submitted a Cabinet paper containing 17 proposed measures to strengthen security, he said.
The measures involve several agencies, including the police, Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), Immigration Department, Aviation Security, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). - September 4, 2026
