Luang Prabang:Kuala Lumpur The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) have tracked down a syndicate and individuals suspected of involvement in a major drug bust at Luang Prabang International Airport in Laos earlier this month.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan stated that statements have been taken from several witnesses, including a Malaysian broker who organized the charter of the implicated aircraft. The aircraft was chartered by a 54-year-old Filipino man, a former pilot with a past drug-related criminal record.

Investigations have also pointed to the involvement of a 51-year-old Filipino woman, believed to have acted as the syndicate's coordinator. The case is being handled by the NCID's Special Investigation Unit under Sections 34 and 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, concerning abetment or preparation in Malaysia for drug trafficking offences committed abroad.

The NCID is collaborating with the Foreign Ministry and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to gather more information and support the investigation. Hussein emphasized the NCID's commitment to fighting drug trafficking to safeguard future generations and encouraged the public to report any drug-related activities to the NCID hotline.

On October 1, Lao police confiscated 521 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from a private Learjet arriving from Subang. Subsequently, 13 individuals of Malaysian, Singaporean, and Filipino nationality were detained by Lao authorities for their connection to the cross-border drug smuggling case. On October 7, a local man who owned the private jet was arrested during a raid at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.