Overview
- Customs officers at Soekarno-Hatta Airport detained a 39-year-old Malaysian pilot identified by the initials MS/MSO after he arrived from Kuala Lumpur, officials said Wednesday.
- Authorities found 14 bags with more than 70,000 MDMA (ecstasy) tablets, about 26 kilograms, in his checked luggage and 4 grams of methamphetamine in his carry-on.
- A urine test returned positive for methamphetamine and cocaine, and the pilot told investigators he had been promised roughly 50,000 ringgit to deliver the drugs and that this was his third smuggling attempt.
- Indonesian police have charged him under the country’s strict drug laws and say he could face life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted.
- Malaysia Airlines has opened an internal review and said it will cooperate with authorities while Indonesian and Malaysian agencies continue to investigate possible syndicate links and airline safety implications.