Miri: Police foiled an attempt by a local man to smuggle drugs with the seizure of the contraband, believed to be methamphetamine weighing 10.5 kilogrammes, in a raid at the Arrival Hall of the Miri Airport last Tuesday. Miri Police Chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah, in a statement posted on the Miri District Police Facebook page, said the 20-year-old suspect, who is an unemployed man from the interior of Sarawak, was arrested immediately after claiming a box at the baggage claim area.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, further inspection of the box found it contained 10 packages of drugs suspected to be methamphetamine (syabu) hidden under a layer of snack food packages. Additionally, the police seized 120 vape pods containing a liquid believed to be Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), weighing approximately 986 grams. The total value of the seizure is estimated at RM380,000.

Mohd Farhan stated that preliminary investigations found the suspect had traveled to Kuala Lumpur to collect the package before returning to Miri. The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which provides for the mandatory death penalty or life imprisonment, and if not sentenced to death, whipping of not less than 12 strokes to the offender.

Mohd Farhan also reminded the public, especially youths, to be wary of lucrative job offers circulating on social media as they may be traps set by syndicates to recruit unsuspecting individuals as drug mules.