A Malaysian pilot faces the death penalty in Indonesia after authorities accused him of attempting to smuggle more than 70,000 ecstasy pills into the country, officials said on Friday.
The 39-year-old pilot, identified only by his initials MSO, was arrested on Wednesday at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport shortly after arriving on a flight from Kuala Lumpur.
Airport customs officials said the flight number indicated he was flying a Malaysia Airlines aircraft, though the airline has not publicly identified the pilot.
Authorities said a urine test returned positive results for methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine.
“The results of his urine test came back positive for meth, MDMA, and cocaine. So, at the time of the flight, he was under the influence,” airport customs official Hengky Tomuan Parlindungan Aritonang told reporters.
“What concerns all of us is that this person’s profession is a pilot, and at the time he arrived, he had just flown that plane from Kuala Lumpur to Indonesia,” he added.
Customs officers said they found 14 bags containing more than 70,000 ecstasy pills in the pilot’s checked luggage, along with four grams of methamphetamine in his hand luggage, which investigators believe was intended for personal use.
Authorities said the suspect had likely expected to pass through a dedicated customs lane for flight crew but was subjected to the same screening procedures as other travellers.
Death penalty
Investigators said the pilot admitted this was his third attempt to smuggle drugs, including two operations into Indonesia and one in Malaysia.
