A 24-YEAR-OLD Malaysian man arrested with four other Malaysians over an alleged cocaine smuggling attempt at Haneda Airport in Tokyo said he felt reassured after being told airport personnel had already been paid to let them pass without checks, Japanese media reported.
“I was told the airport staff had already been paid, so we would not be inspected. That was why I felt relieved,” he was recently quoted as saying by Fuji News Network (FNN).
However, the report did not identify which airport the alleged payment referred to or provide confirmation that any bribe had actually been made.
FNN reported on Monday that the five Malaysians were believed to have accepted the offer because they were facing financial difficulties before allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine concealed beneath their shoe insoles.
The operation was uncovered after Japanese customs officers became suspicious of one suspect wearing shoes with unusually thick soles. An inspection reportedly led to the discovery of the drugs.
Each suspect was believed to have been carrying about 1kg of cocaine, with 500g concealed in each shoe.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan had earlier confirmed that two men and three women, all Malaysians, were arrested on Oct 10.
He said the Royal Malaysia Police would send an investigative team to Japan to obtain further information about the arrests, including possible links to Malaysian and international drug trafficking syndicates. - October 14, 2026