International drug rings eyeing other airports as KLIA steps up scrutiny
KUALA LUMPUR: International drug syndicates are shifting their attention to other Malaysian airports as enforcement intensifies at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
International drug syndicates are shifting their focus to alternative airports in Malaysia as enforcement at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) becomes more stringent, according to Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan. The syndicates are reportedly targeting airports such as Bayan Lepas International Airport in Penang, Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Sabah, and airports in Ipoh, Perak, and Miri, Sarawak.
This shift comes after a sharp increase in drug cases and seizures at KLIA, which rose from 54 cases and 57 arrests in the same period last year to 108 cases and 121 arrests, respectively, this year. Hussein emphasized that the rise in seizures is due to improved intelligence, surveillance, and enforcement, rather than a weakness in airport security.
The NCID does not consider drug trafficking through airports solely as a KLIA problem, as they assess international air entry points based on risk levels, travel patterns, and syndicate modus operandi.
Brief written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
