DPR Urges Maximum Penalty for Malaysia Airlines Co-Pilot After Alleged Drug Smuggling

A member of the House of Representatives (DPR) has urged law enforcement to impose the maximum penalty on a Malaysia Airlines co-pilot arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle 26 kilogrammes of narcotics into Indonesia. Commission III member Nasyirul Falah Amru, known as Gus Falah, stated that the case involving 39-year-old Mohd Saufi bin Othman constitutes an extraordinary crime that endangers international flight safety and national security. ‘The perpetrator must be processed firmly and sentenced to the maximum penalty under Law Number 35 of 2009 on Narcotics. There should be no tolerance for large-scale drug smuggling, especially when carried out repeatedly by flight crew entrusted with operating international flights,’ Gus Falah told reporters on Tuesday. He noted that the suspect’s confession of being ordered by a drug lord in exchange for RM50,000, or approximately Rp219.4 million, strongly indicates the existence of a transnational narcotics syndicate. The PDI Perjuangan politician urged investigators not to stop with the arrested individual but to pursue the entire network, including the intellectual actors controlling the smuggling operation. ‘This was not a spontaneous act. There is an international network exploiting the profession of flight crew to smuggle narcotics. Law enforcement must thoroughly investigate up to the kingpins and all parties involved,’ he said. Gus Falah also commended the Directorate General of Customs and Excise for foiling the smuggling attempt but highlighted concerns over test results indicating the suspect was positive for narcotics use. He warned that if the suspect had operated an aircraft under the influence of drugs, the matter posed a serious threat to the safety of hundreds of passengers. ‘If it is true that the perpetrator operated the plane while under the influence of narcotics, then this is not just a narcotics crime but a serious threat to the safety of hundreds of passengers. Such an incident must never be repeated,’ he stated. He further encouraged Indonesian law enforcement to coordinate with Malaysian authorities to uncover the drug smuggling network.