ALOR SETAR: Drug traffickers have adopted a new smuggling tactic by carrying sacks of drugs on foot through forested areas along the Malaysia–Thailand border in an attempt to evade security forces.
The operation was exposed following the arrest of a 37-year-old Thai national in the Durian Burung forest area of Padang Terap, Kedah, during a special operation conducted by Malaysian security forces earlier this month.
Kedah Police Chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said the suspect was detained at about 4.30am on December 9 after the Malaysian Armed Forces detected suspicious movement along an illegal forest trail.
“Investigations found the suspect carrying nine sacks containing 331 packages of methamphetamine, with an estimated value of nearly RM11 million,” he said at a press conference at the Kedah police headquarters.
According to Adzli, the syndicate deliberately avoided main roads by trekking approximately four kilometres through dense forest while carrying heavy sacks of drugs.
The suspect revealed that at least eight accomplices were involved, acting as lookouts from a distance of about 400 metres to monitor security patrols before fleeing when the arrest took place.
The drugs were disguised in plastic packaging labelled as dried frozen durian and rat poison, believed to be an attempt to mislead authorities.
Investigators believe the drugs were intended to be handed over to local transporters before being distributed to the Klang Valley, a major drug market in the country.
Each courier was promised RM2,600 for transporting the drugs, despite the risks involved in navigating dangerous terrain.
Although the suspect possessed a border pass, police said he was detained for using an illegal route.
The syndicate is believed to be based in a neighbouring country and has been operating for about two months.
The case is being investigated under Malaysia’s Dangerous Drugs Act and Immigration Act, which carry severe penalties.