FIVE Malaysians, including a woman, have been arrested at Haneda Airport in Tokyo over the alleged smuggling of about 5kg of cocaine worth 120 million yen (RM3.1 million) into Japan.
The suspects were detained on Saturday after Japanese customs officers discovered the drugs concealed beneath shoe insoles, following a flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Fuji News Network (FNN) reported that the operation came to light after customs officers became suspicious of one traveller wearing shoes with unusually thick soles.
An inspection uncovered cocaine beneath the insoles of two suspects, leading officers to identify three other individuals believed to have arrived with them.
Tokyo Reporter, citing Nippon News Network (NNN), cited that the other three suspects had allegedly used the same method to conceal the drugs.
According to TBS News DIG, each suspect was carrying about 1kg of cocaine, with 500g hidden beneath the insole of each shoe.
One 24-year-old suspect reportedly told investigators that he had been offered RM8,000 per person through the Telegram messaging application to transport the drugs overseas.
He also claimed that the shoes used to conceal the cocaine had been provided to him.
NHK reported that four of the suspects admitted to the allegations during questioning, while a 25-year-old woman denied involvement, claiming she did not know that the package she was carrying contained cocaine.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police are investigating whether the group was recruited by a Malaysia-based criminal syndicate to carry out international drug smuggling. - October 13, 2026