Malaysian Pilot Drug Scandal Sparks Call for Tighter Airport Crew Lane Security
Jakarta, VIVA – Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Ahmad Sahroni, has called for the dedicated crew lane at airports to be tightened following a drug smuggling case involving a pilot from a Malaysian foreign airline.
“With this incident, that lane should indeed be strictly controlled, not just open to anyone. That’s why it was discovered,” Sahroni told journalists at the Parliamentary Complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday, 4 August 2026.
“But do not let your guard down — continue to monitor the dedicated lanes at every airport across this republic,” he continued.
Sahroni also highlighted passenger safety concerns, as the pilot tested positive for consuming several types of narcotics based on urine test results.
He noted that pilots are prohibited from drinking alcohol, let alone consuming narcotics, in order to protect passenger safety.
“That is why it is important to check pilots. Even drinking alcohol is not allowed, let alone narcotics. So as much as possible, Indonesia must have good pilots who must be safeguarded and must not do things that would render passengers’ lives worthless,” he said.
Furthermore, he commended the measures taken by Customs in uncovering the drug smuggling case involving the Malaysian airline pilot.
“That is something to appreciate about Customs — in analysing the security of the lane typically used by crew members, they were not negligent,” Sahroni concluded.
As previously reported, the Ministry of Finance, through the Director General of Customs and Excise, Djaka Budhi Utama, revealed the chronology of how the smuggling of 26 kg of ecstasy-type narcotics was uncovered, foiled by Soekarno-Hatta Customs together with the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim Polri).
He explained that the perpetrator, a co-pilot from a foreign airline holding Malaysian nationality, was apprehended at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta Airport’s International Arrivals on Wednesday, 29 July 2026.
“Officers succeeded in finding approximately 70,114 pills of Class I narcotics of the MDMA (ecstasy) type weighing 26 kg gross, as well as 4 grams gross of methamphetamine, known locally as sabu,” Djaka said at a press conference at the Soekarno-Hatta Customs Office in Tangerang, Banten, on Friday, 31 July 2026.
He revealed that the case began when Customs officers monitoring the X-ray machine at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta Airport’s International Arrivals noticed a suspicious suitcase being collected by a Malaysian national with the initials MS, who was wearing a co-pilot’s uniform.