By Nik Nurfaqih Nik Wil
JAKARTA, July 31 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta is seeking consular access to a Malaysian pilot detained in Indonesia on alleged drug trafficking offences following his arrest at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport earlier this week.
The embassy said it had received official notification from Indonesia's Directorate of Drug Crimes under the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) regarding the detention of the Malaysian national at Terminal 3 of the airport.
"The Embassy respects Indonesia's legal process and is engaging with the Indonesian authorities to obtain consular access to the Malaysian citizen concerned," the embassy said in a statement on Friday.
The statement came shortly after Indonesian authorities in a press conference, here, announced that the 39-year-old Malaysian pilot was arrested on July 29 after allegedly attempting to smuggle about 25 kilogrammes of ecstasy, valued at around Rp60 billion (Rp1 million = RM225.20).
Authorities said the drugs, comprising about 70,114 ecstasy pills and four grammes gross of methamphetamine, were allegedly concealed in the suspect's luggage and were discovered during an inspection at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Investigators said preliminary findings indicated the suspect may have smuggled narcotics into Indonesia on previous occasions and is believed to be part of an international drug trafficking network, with investigations continuing to identify other members of the syndicate and the intended recipients of the drugs in Indonesia.
-- BERNAMA