Kuala lumpur: Police say it is too early to determine whether an individual identified as an 'insider' was involved in the syndicate linked to the Malaysian pilot detained in Indonesia recently over a drug case.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (JSJN) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan stated that the individual had been questioned, but investigations were still ongoing and more evidence was needed to establish any involvement. "We have called and questioned the individual and are satisfied with the statement given. It is still too early to say whether the insider was involved. If there are other individuals involved, we need solid evidence to establish this. At the same time, I am not ruling out the possibility of the insider being involved," he mentioned during a press conference on JSJN's success in dismantling an international drug trafficking syndicate.

The 39-year-old Malaysian pilot was detained at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after allegedly attempting to smuggle 25 kilogrammes of drugs. Indonesian police found 15 packages containing 70,114 ecstasy and methamphetamine pills, worth an estimated RM45 million based on Indonesian market prices.

Hussein noted that the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) was tracing the syndicate's network in Malaysia and abroad, including individuals linked to a telephone number allegedly used to contact the pilot. However, the number was registered under a false identity, complicating efforts to trace its actual owner.

Meanwhile, four JSJN officers arrived in Jakarta this morning to collaborate with Indonesian authorities, with plans to interview the pilot on August 12 and 13. Hussein indicated that the interview would assist investigators in obtaining further information and comparing the pilot's account with evidence gathered in Malaysia, while efforts to trace the international syndicate continued.

In a separate case, Hussein mentioned that PDRM believed a Malaysian detained in Chennai, India, for possessing four kilogrammes of cannabis had sourced the drugs from Bangkok. He added that PDRM had obtained the individual's identity, nationality, and flight details, and would determine whether the person was linked to a Malaysian syndicate or recruited as a drug mule in Thailand or Malaysia.