Drug Syndicate Leads Uncovered from Malaysian Pilot's Interrogation

A Malaysia Airlines pilot, Mohd Saufi bin Othman (39), was arrested for allegedly smuggling more than 26 kg of drugs into Indonesia. Malaysian police have revealed that the suspect had been carrying out his activities since 2024.

Saufi bin Othman was arrested by customs authorities at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on 28 July. He was found carrying 26 kilograms of ecstasy. Customs authorities subsequently handed Saufi over to the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Indonesian National Police for legal processing.

During questioning, it emerged that Saufi tested positive for three types of drugs. He also admitted to having smuggled drugs into Indonesia three times and received payment of 50,000 ringgit (approximately Rp 218.7 million) from an individual.

According to Malaysia’s Harian Metro, the Director of the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department of Bukit Aman, Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, said the suspect had been involved in the activity for a long time. “The suspect has been involved since 2024, with his role being to transport drugs abroad to several destinations according to his flight schedule. This is not the first time because he has brought drugs to several countries on several occasions,” Omar said on Saturday (15/8).

Police have also received information about drug syndicates operating in Malaysia and other countries, including Indonesia. “The pilot has also provided information about several drug syndicates operating in Malaysia and other countries, including Indonesia,” he added.

Hussein said the Royal Malaysia Police would investigate identified syndicate members, including money flows linked to drug sales, while information about international networks would be shared with law enforcement agencies in the countries involved. “Interrogation found no indication of insider involvement at KLIA. This means he acted alone when passing through checks, and this matter needs to be examined further to determine how the drugs went undetected,” he said.

Hussein said the pilot remains in the custody of the Indonesian National Police and must undergo legal proceedings in Indonesia. He declined to comment on the possibility of extradition to Malaysia.

The 39-year-old pilot was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten on 29 July, after arriving from Kuala Lumpur on flight MH727. Indonesian customs officers detected suspicious contents in his luggage through an X-ray scan at around 11.30 pm local time. A search found 14 packages containing 70,114 ecstasy pills weighing approximately 25 kg, along with 4 grams of methamphetamine in his cabin baggage. The drugs are estimated to be worth RM45 million.