Malaysia refutes claim by Indian Customs that Malaysia is a transit point for drug smuggling.
Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Zulhasnan Najib Baharudin described the comment by the New Delhi Customs Department as “baseless”. A senior Customs officer from the New Delhi Customs was quoted as saying that Kuala Lumpur was being used as a transit point to distribute heroin in Southeast Asia.
Najib said,
We agree that Malaysia is located near many Southeast Asian countries and other Asian nations, but this does not mean that Malaysia is becoming a hotspot for drug smugglers.
We do not give room to drug smugglers as our intelligence unit always updates us on drug syndicates. We will also know about (the activities of) drug smugglers in other countries.
The arrest in New Delhi was a rare case...security at our airports is one of the best in the world.
He (the New Delhi senior customs officer) should check with other agencies, like Interpol before concluding his statement.
Nevertheless, we will refer this matter to the New Delhi Customs and Interpol for further clarification.
Last week a 26-year-old Thai woman who was about to board a Malaysia-bound flight with 2.48 kg heroin worth RM2.5 million hidden under the bottom layer of her suitcase was arrested at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The arrest came just weeks after New Delhi Customs arrested a 42-year-old Filipino man who was heading towards Kuala Lumpur with 70 heroin capsules worth RM 800,000 in his stomach.