KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police have identified two Filipinos, including a former pilot, believed to be linked to an international drug trafficking syndicate behind the seizure of 521kg of methamphetamine from a private jet in Laos.
Federal Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the former pilot had chartered the aircraft through a Malaysian broker, while the woman was believed to have acted as the syndicate's coordinator.
The former pilot, 54, has a drug-related criminal record in the Philippines, while the woman is 51.
Hussein said the latest findings followed investigations into the seizure at Luang Prabang International Airport on Oct 1, which also led to the detention of a Malaysian second officer.
"Investigations have identified the syndicate and individuals in Malaysia who are believed to be connected to the case.
"So far, the NCID has recorded statements from several witnesses, including a local who acted as a broker in arranging the charter of the aircraft.
"The individual revealed that the aircraft was chartered by a 54-year-old Filipino man who was identified as a former pilot with a drug-related criminal record in the Philippines," he said in a statement.
The NCID's Special Investigation Unit is investigating the case under Sections 34 and 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. Section 34 covers conspiracy or preparatory acts in Malaysia for drug trafficking offences committed overseas.
Hussein said Malaysian investigators were working with the Foreign Ministry and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to obtain further information, establish the involvement of those linked to the syndicate and identify others who may have facilitated the operation.
Lao authorities seized about 521kg of crystal methamphetamine from the private jet at Luang Prabang International Airport on Oct 1 and detained 13 people, including a Malaysian second officer.
Malaysian investigations found that the aircraft had departed Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang for Luang Prabang without cargo.
The jet was believed to have been chartered to transport the drugs from Laos to Manila, the Philippines.
At a press conference on Oct 9, Hussein said the aircraft had been chartered for US$49,500 (about RM209,000) to transport a shipment declared as goods from Laos to the Philippines.
He said investigators believed the person who arranged the charter was a Filipino national, whose details had been shared with Philippine authorities to help trace and apprehend those responsible.
Malaysian police had also arrested a 49-year-old Malaysian pilot who owned an aviation company linked to the jet.
The drugs were declared as vape products in the aircraft's cargo manifest to conceal the shipment bound for Manila.
Hussein said the NCID remained committed to combating drug trafficking syndicates through cooperation with international enforcement agencies.
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