29-07-2025
Foreigner caught with RM74,000 worth of syabu in Tawau drug smuggling attempt
TAWAU: A foreigner, believed to have been paid 15 million rupiah (approximately RM3,874) by a drug syndicate to smuggle narcotics via the old Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) jetty here, was arrested with more than two kilogrammes of syabu last Friday.
The 22-year-old suspect, originally from Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, was apprehended by a team from the Tawau district police headquarters after he was seen behaving suspiciously along Jalan Pelabuhan at around 9.30am.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Jasmin Hussin said the arrest was made following intelligence and surveillance that led to the suspect's detection.
He is believed to have entered the district illegally via an uncharted route on July 21.
"A check on his backpack revealed two gold-coloured plastic packets labelled 'Guanyinwang' and 'Freeso Dried Durian'," he said.
"Inside were two transparent packets containing crystalline substances believed to be syabu, weighing a total of 2,062 grams and valued at approximately RM74,500.
"Interrogation revealed that the undocumented suspect had entered the district illegally for the first time and admitted to being paid by the syndicate to smuggle the drugs out of the country," he said at a press conference today.
Jasmin added that the suspect has been remanded for seven days until Aug 2 to assist investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment upon conviction.
"Police are also actively tracking down others linked to the syndicate," he added.
So far this year, Tawau police have seized more than 30 kilogrammes of syabu in a series of arrests involving individuals and drug trafficking syndicates.
