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Customs officers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) recently found 47.8kg of cannabis buds worth RM3.82 million in two pieces of luggage abandoned at the airport's Lost and Found office
According to Bernama, the department said it had foiled four major smuggling cases last month, seizing a total of 60.5kg of cannabis buds and 1.53 million cigarette sticks worth more than RM6.17 million.
KLIA Customs director Aspalila Ag Tuah said the two pieces of luggage had been checked in for a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi on 14 July but were abandoned by the passengers.
"A scan of the luggage revealed suspicious images, and further inspection uncovered airtight plastic packets believed to contain cannabis buds.
"The airline was called in to assist in tracing the owners of the luggage," she said at a press conference yesterday, 13 August.
In a separate case, 12.7kg of cannabis worth RM1.01 million was found concealed inside children's toy boxes
Aspalila said the drugs were discovered in four packages at the KLIA Customs mail and courier centre on 13 July and were believed to have been destined for a European country via cargo services.
"The syndicate concealed the cannabis in airtight plastic packaging before placing it inside children's toy boxes to evade detection by the authorities," she said.
Both cases are being investigated under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
KLIA Customs also foiled two attempts to smuggle a total of 1.53 million cigarette sticks into the country
Aspalila said the first case occurred on 29 July, when officers inspected a warehouse in the KLIA Free Commercial Zone and discovered 410,000 cigarettes suspected to have been imported without payment of customs duty.
The cigarettes, which were shipped from a West Asian country, were declared as clothing under an air waybill. They were worth about RM102,000, with duties and taxes amounting to RM290,152.
The following day, officers found another 1.12 million cigarette sticks in a warehouse in the same zone
The cigarettes were worth about RM168,000, with duties and taxes amounting to RM786,400.
Aspalila said the shipment had arrived from an Asian country for transit and was believed to have been destined for a country in Oceania.
"This time, the consignment was declared as slippers to evade detection by the authorities," she said, adding that the companies handling both shipments have been called in to assist with investigations.
