Senior armed forces officers also likely involved in drug distribution, says Azam
KUALA LUMPUR : The five senior armed forces officers arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday are believed to have been involved in drug distribution activities, in addition to masterminding a smuggling syndicate.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the drugs seized in the raid yesterday suggested their involvement in narcotics.
'Besides protecting criminals, we believe they were involved with drug lords. They are believed to have both used the drugs themselves and distributed them,' Buletin TV3 reported him as saying today.
Azam said the officers arrested, being from the intelligence division stationed at the country's borders in the south, were believed to have leaked information on security team and enforcement agency operations.
'The majority of them were lieutenant colonels, and were from the army and navy,' he said.
Yesterday, an MACC source said the agency had busted a smuggling syndicate allegedly operated by senior Malaysian armed forces officers in the country's south.
The source said five senior officers and five civilians, including an Indonesian national, were arrested around the Klang Valley in an operation by MACC's intelligence division and the Anti-Corruption Tactical Squad.
'The senior officers were from the armed forces' intelligence division, including two former personnel from the same unit.
'They were assigned to monitor and curb smuggling activities but are believed to have colluded with the syndicate for the past five years, amassing more than RM3 million in bribes,' the source said.
Initial investigations found that the five senior officers were suspected to have facilitated the entry of contraband, including drugs and cigarettes worth about RM5 million a month, from neighbouring countries.
'The suspects are believed to have received between RM30,000 and RM50,000 for each smuggling trip,' the source said.
Separately, armed forces chief Nizam Jaffar said the armed forces was ready to hand over sensitive documents to MACC to facilitate its probe and had pledged its full cooperation.
'The main thing is to determine whether the allegations are true. If they are true, we will take appropriate action,' Bernama quoted him as saying today.
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