KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah Customs Department has foiled a drug smuggling attempt that used chilled seafood boxes as means to move the illicit contraband undetected.
A 32-year-old local man had since been arrested after the department found over 8kg of drugs worth RM404,375 inside 16 chilled seafood boxes at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport MasKargo facility.
In releasing details of the case today, Sabah Customs assistant director Datuk Abdullah Jaapar said MasKargo security workers had alerted the customs enforcement officers stationed at the airport after finding several suspicious objects during an airport scan procedure at 7am.
“Upon checking, customs enforcement officers found the drugs under a layer of seal inside the boxes,” he said.
The drugs found included 5.431kg of ketamine worth RM287,843 and 3.237kg of methamphetamine worth RM116,532.
“A 32-year-old local man has been detained in relation to the incident to assist in investigations. The items were about to be smuggled out of Sabah to a foreign country,” he said.
The case is being probed under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952.
The Customs Department has seized over 235.358kg of methamphetamine worth RM8.47 million, 5.431kg of ketamine worth RM287,843, 1.022kg of marijuana worth RM2,555 and 3.400kg of kratom worth RM34 between January and September this year. – The Vibes, September 13, 2021.