Foreign Pilot Arrested After Repeatedly Smuggling Drugs via Air
A pilot from a foreign airline, Mohd Saufi bin Othman, has been arrested at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Soetta) for the alleged smuggling of methamphetamine. Saufi has been named a suspect and is currently being detained by the Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri).
According to the Director of Narcotics Crimes at Bareskrim Polri, Brigadier General Eko Hadi Santoso, the Malaysian national was apprehended after Customs officers grew suspicious during an X-ray inspection of passenger luggage at Terminal 3 International Arrivals on Tuesday, 28 July 2026, at approximately 23:30 WIB. Officers inspected a suspicious suitcase belonging to Saufi and discovered 14 large packages of ecstasy and one package of methamphetamine.
Customs subsequently alerted the Narcotics Crimes Directorate of Bareskrim Polri. During interrogation, the suspect admitted he was instructed by an individual to transport the drugs to Jakarta in exchange for a payment of RM 50,000. Upon arrival in Jakarta, he was allegedly instructed by a contact in Malaysia to meet a person at a hotel to hand over the narcotics.
Investigations revealed that this was not the suspect’s first offence; Saufi had previously smuggled narcotics via air three times. His first trip involved transporting methamphetamine to Sabah, and his second involved bringing 7kg of methamphetamine to Jakarta. This latest attempt, involving approximately 26 kilograms (over 70,000 pills) of ecstasy and methamphetamine, was intercepted by authorities.
Furthermore, a urine test conducted on the suspect returned positive for methamphetamine, ecstasy, and cocaine. The Malaysian national faces charges under Article 113 (2) juncto Article 114 (2) juncto Article 132 (1) of Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics, alongside relevant provisions of the Criminal Code. Investigators are currently conducting further examinations to uncover the wider distribution network involved in the smuggling operation.