A MARRIED couple and three of their friends, who were arrested with five kilograms of cocaine at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on October 10, were acting as drug mules.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) Director, Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, said the couple, from Sarawak, is believed to have invited their three friends on a vacation to Japan, shortly before all five were apprehended by Japanese authorities.
“Each of them was provided with a pair of shoes, which the syndicate is believed to have stuffed with drugs.
“They travelled from Sarawak to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) before boarding a flight to Tokyo. Therefore, we believe they were all aware of what they were carrying.
“They were drug mules. They were each promised a reward of RM8,000 for transporting the shoes,” he said during a press conference at the Johor Contingent Police Headquarters today.
Hussein added that investigations do not rule out the possibility that the syndicate is masterminded by the male partner of the married couple.
“The male suspect is believed to have invited his wife, who in turn invited three of her friends to join the trip.
“We do not rule out the possibility that all five individuals were aware that the items they were carrying were linked to illegal activities,” he said.
He added that the group had engaged a travel agent from Kuala Lumpur to arrange their trip.
However, the travel agent was not detained and has since returned to Malaysia, as it is believed they were unaware of the drug-smuggling activities.
Elaborating further, Hussein stated that checks revealed none of the five individuals had any prior criminal records.
Nevertheless, he noted that investigations are ongoing to determine whether they had previously travelled to other countries using the same modus operandi, or if they have broader ties to the drug syndicate.
Consequently, he urged Malaysians to exercise caution when receiving travel offers—especially if they are asked to carry items such as footwear, bags, or other belongings abroad.
He added that the public should always verify the contents of any items they are asked to carry, to avoid being exploited by syndicates as drug mules.
It was earlier reported that Japanese authorities arrested five Malaysians at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on October 10, after discovering approximately five kilograms of cocaine concealed within the insoles of their footwear.
Japanese media estimated the value of the seized drugs to be around 120 million yen (RM3.1 million). – October 16, 2026
