JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities said Friday they have arrested a Malaysia Airlines pilot accused of smuggling of more than 26 kilograms (57 pounds) of ecstasy and a package of methamphetamine shortly after he landed in Jakarta ’s international airport.The 39-year-old Malaysian national, identified only by his initial, MS, was also allegedly on duty while under the influence of narcotics, said Eko Hadi Santoso, director of narcotics crimes at the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency.The case was uncovered late Tuesday when customs officers inspecting baggage at the international arrival’s terminal of Soekarno-Hatta Airport noticed a suspicious suitcase during an X-ray screening. The luggage was later collected by the suspect, whom police identified as a pilot for Malaysian Airlines on flight MH727 from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, Santoso said.
He said customs officers took the pilot and the suitcase to a customs inspection room for further examination. Police said they found 14 large packages containing more than 70,000 ecstasy pills, weighing a total of about 26 kilograms (57 pounds), along with a separate package of methamphetamine. Police narcotics investigators took over the case.“He has been named a suspect and detained,” Santoso told a joint news conference at the airport on Friday where police showed the drugs seized from the pilot to reporters. “Investigators are still conducting further inquiries to develop the network above him,” he said.
