SUNGAI PETANI: The Home Ministry is seeking further information from Japanese authorities following the detention of five Malaysians suspected of attempting to smuggle about five kilogrammes of cocaine into Tokyo.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said accurate information was needed to establish the facts surrounding the incident, including how the group allegedly passed security checks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) before being detained in Japan.
He said he had instructed Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan to contact Japanese authorities to obtain more information.
"The same approach was taken in the case involving the detention of a Malaysian co-pilot in Jakarta last month, which was linked to drugs transported on a private aircraft chartered from Malaysia. However, the drugs in that case did not originate from Malaysia but from Laos.
"Once I receive complete information, I will provide the media with the latest developments," he told reporters after attending a 'Madani Town Hall session with the Home Minister' event at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Merbok here.
Yesterday, media reports said four men and a woman, all Malaysians, were detained at Tokyo's Haneda Airport last Saturday on suspicion of attempting to smuggle about five kilogrammes of cocaine worth 120 million yen (RM3.1 million).
The group is believed to have brought the drugs from KLIA before their activities were uncovered during customs inspections upon arrival in Japan.
A Fuji News Network (FNN) report said the operation was detected after customs officers became suspicious of one of the suspects wearing shoes with unusually thick soles.
Initial inspections uncovered cocaine concealed beneath the insoles of two suspects' shoes, before customs officers identified three others believed to have been travelling with them.
A Nippon News Network (NNN) article said three of them had also concealed cocaine using the same method.
Saifuddin said the incident did not mean that the implementation of 17 recommendations or initiatives introduced through a joint committee between the ministry and the Transport Ministry to strengthen airport security controls would be halted.
He said the initiatives were being implemented in three phases, including comprehensive screening of passengers and baggage for destinations identified as high-risk areas or hotspots.
"These hotspot destinations will be subject to 100 per cent screening, including pat-down searches from head to toe, as well as baggage inspections.
"Tokyo was not included in our original list of hotspots. I believe the narcotics division will provide an immediate report on the circumstances surrounding this incident," he said.
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