Customs seizes RM162m in drugs, including 460kg hidden in cemetery hut

THE Royal Malaysian Customs Department has seized more than 1.2 tonnes of suspected drugs worth RM161.67 million in four operations over two weeks, uncovering consignments hidden in a cemetery hut and disguised as ordinary cargo at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Customs director-general Datuk Seri Amran Ahmad said the seizures involved 1,200.458kg of various drugs, including methamphetamine, cannabis, heroin and cocaine, in operations conducted between September and October.

The largest seizure by weight was made on Oct 10, when customs officers found 460.31kg of suspected methamphetamine worth RM23.015 million in 17 brown boxes abandoned inside a hut at the Siamese Cemetery in Jejawi, Arau, Perlis.

Amran said the Perlis customs enforcement division acted on intelligence and discovered 228 packets of suspected methamphetamine in the boxes.

The syndicate was believed to have used an abandoned hut in the cemetery as a temporary drug storage site to avoid detection by the authorities.

The highest-value seizure involved drugs worth RM123.87 million discovered on Oct 12 at the Pos Acceptant Advance cargo centre in the MASkargo building at KLIA, Sepang.

“An inspection of a wooden box declared to contain a Hande Screw Air Compressor found sacks containing 161kg of suspected heroin and 246.65kg of suspected cocaine in white powder form,” he said in Nilai today.

Two local men, aged 27 and 47, believed to have acted as agents, were arrested to assist investigations.

In another operation on Sept 26, customs officers seized 293.60kg of suspected methamphetamine worth RM14.68 million at the Pos Aviation export bay in KLIA’s Cargo Village.

Amran said the operation followed intelligence on 16 boxes declared as containing non-hazardous goods.

“An inspection found four boxes containing vehicle spare parts, while the remaining 12 contained 285 plastic packets filled with white crystalline powder suspected to be methamphetamine.

“The syndicate’s modus operandi was to conceal the drugs in commercial boxes for shipment to Australia,” he said.

Meanwhile, Penang customs seized 33kg of suspected cannabis worth RM99,000 on Oct 1. The drugs were hidden beneath an abandoned illegal jetty near Jalan Dato Ali in Sungai Perlis.

All four cases are being investigated under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment and a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction. - October 15, 2026