Customs foil drug smuggling plot at airport

Multa Fidrus ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Tangerang   |  Fri, 10/16/2009 3:10 PM  |  City

Customs and Excise officers thwarted a plot to smuggle 8.4 kilograms of ketamine worth Rp 7.4 billion at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Wednesday.

Banten Customs Office chief Bachtiar said a 54-year-old Indian national identified as Murli Banomal Nagdev, who arrived on Garuda flight No. 825, was found carrying the drugs.

"Our scanning devices could not detect the drug concealed in calf protectors *sport apparel* he carried in his luggage, but officers became suspicious because he looked nervous," he told journalists at a press conference at the airport on Thursday.

Officers then asked him to open his luggage and found white powder in 17 plastic bags under the sport apparel.

"Narcotic tests later confirmed the white powder was ketamine," he said.

The suspect claimed he planned to sell the drugs here on his own.

However, Bactiar said his officers would not buy the suspect's statement since he confessed earlier that someone had given him Rp 3 million before leaving India.

Nagdev told The Jakarta Post that someone had given him Rp 3 million

"I was asked to take the luggage to Jakarta and was given Rp 3 million," Nagdev said.

The suspect violated Articles 102 and 103 of the 1992 Health Law and is punishable with a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

Earlier this week, officers also seized 1 kilogram of crystal methamphetamine worth Rp 1.4 billion from a 27-year-old Malaysian citizen named Han Moen King.

The suspect flew from Hong Kong and arrived at the airport on Tuesday on Cathay Pacific flight CI 679.

"Both of the smuggling attempts used a new modus operandi," said Bachtiar.

"The suspect almost managed to deceive the officers because he concealed the drug in his shoes," Bachtiar added.

Meanwhile, airport customs office chief Bahaduri Wijayanta said that officers had prevented more smuggling attempts at the airport this year compared to last year.

"Based on Customs and Excise office records, 18 smuggling attempts were foiled up until October this year, compared to 15 cases recorded last year," he said.

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