MALAYSIAN police have detained six local men believed to be part of a drug trafficking syndicate linked to a Malaysian co-pilot arrested in Indonesia with drugs worth an estimated RM45 million.
The six men, aged between 23 and 50, were detained in a special operation conducted by the Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (JSJN) between Aug 20 and 28.
JSJN director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the arrests followed information obtained during questioning of the 39-year-old Malaysian co-pilot by JSJN officers sent to Jakarta from Aug 11 to 15.
He said the six suspects were believed to have acted as suppliers and couriers who provided the drugs to the co-pilot.
"All of them are aged between 23 and 50 and were detained in a special operation conducted by JSJN from Aug 20 to 28.
"Based on investigations and intelligence, they played the roles of upline (higher-level members) and downline (lower-level members) in the drug distribution syndicate involving the co-pilot," he said when contacted today.
Hussein said investigations were continuing and all six suspects had been detained under the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985.
Under the Act, police have the power to detain suspects for up to 60 days to complete investigations before a further detention order is issued.
He said JSJN would also share the information gathered with the Indonesian National Police (POLRI) to facilitate further investigations into the transnational drug syndicate.
The Malaysian co-pilot was arrested at the International Arrivals Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, after arriving from Kuala Lumpur on flight MH727.
The arrest was made at about 11.30pm local time after Indonesian customs officers detected suspicious luggage during an X-ray scan.
The co-pilot was subsequently directed to an inspection room after collecting the luggage.
A further examination uncovered 14 packages containing 70,114 ecstasy pills weighing about 25kg, as well as four grammes of methamphetamine in his hand luggage.
The drugs were estimated to be worth RM45 million.
Indonesian police said the co-pilot had allegedly been promised RM50,000 to transport the drugs to Jakarta, where they were to be collected by another individual from a hotel.
The latest arrests mark a widening of the investigation from the Indonesian airport seizure to suspected members of the supply and distribution network operating in Malaysia. - September 4, 2026
