KUALA LUMPUR: Three Malaysians arrested in Mauritius with 76.14kg of cannabis worth RM9.87 million knowingly transported the drugs after collecting them in Bangkok, police said.
Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the trio, comprising a couple and another individual recruited through a holiday package, knew they were carrying drugs.
He said investigations had established that the suspects travelled from Malaysia to Bangkok, where they collected the drugs before continuing their journey to Mauritius.
“What we know for certain is that they travelled from Malaysia to Bangkok.
“They collected the drug supply in Bangkok before taking it to Mauritius.
“They knew what they were carrying,” he told reporters at an appreciation ceremony for NCID’s Intelligence and Operations Division.
Hussein said Malaysian authorities had received information from their counterparts in Mauritius to facilitate further investigations locally.
“We have been provided with the relevant information for us to conduct further investigations here,” he said.
The three Malaysians, comprising 2 men aged 22 and 30 and an 18-year-old woman, were arrested upon arrival at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport on Nov 2.
According to the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA), customs officers discovered 70 rectangular, vacuum-packed parcels containing suspected cannabis in their luggage. The drugs were valued at 114.21 million Mauritian rupees (RM9.87 million).
Mauritius media reported that the 30-year-old suspect, who worked as a security officer in Singapore, was carrying 10.9kg of cannabis, while the 22-year-old man and 18-year-old woman were found with 32.5kg and 32.6kg respectively.
Preliminary investigations by Mauritian authorities had linked the drugs to Thailand, with reports indicating that at least one suspect had travelled through Dubai before arriving in Mauritius.
The arrests came just 10 days after another Malaysian, a 55-year-old cook, was detained at the same airport on Oct 23 with 17.8kg of cannabis in his luggage after arriving from Dubai.