Singaporean Arrives At Ipoh Airport With RM1.52 Million Of Cannabis

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

A 29-year-old Singaporean man was arrested at Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh on Sunday (Nov 8) after Malaysian authorities found 19.04kg of suspected cannabis flowers worth RM1.52 million (S$480,000) inside his checked luggage.

Perak Police Chief Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin stated at a press conference on Wednesday (11 Nov) that auxiliary police detected suspicious items inside the suspect’s suitcase during routine check-in screening at about 6.20am.

Officers inspected the bag and found 36 transparent plastic packets containing dried cannabis buds.

Police noted the quantity was sufficient to supply approximately 47,900 drug users.

According to police investigations, the unemployed suspect had accepted an online job offer promising S$4,000 (RM12,685) to transport the suitcase to London.

The suspect told investigators he believed the bag contained high-grade counterfeit luxury goods and claimed he had not opened it.

Suspect’s Route Through Kajang and Ipoh Points to Shifting Smuggling Tactics

Police revealed the suspect flew from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on Saturday (Nov 7) and checked into a hotel in Kajang, Selangor, where he is believed to have collected the pre-packed luggage from a supplier.

He then travelled by e-hailing vehicle to Ipoh, stayed overnight at a local hotel, and arrived at the airport the next morning to board a flight to Singapore before connecting to London.

Mohd Alwi said international drug syndicates have shifted operations from major hubs such as Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to smaller regional airports like Ipoh, which operates one daily flight to Singapore, to bypass tighter border enforcement.

The suspect, who has no prior criminal record and tested negative for drugs in a preliminary urine screening, has been remanded for seven days from Monday (9 Nov).

Section 39B Probe Amid Debate Over Death Penalty Reform

The case is being investigated under Section 39B of Malaysia’s Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment with at least 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction.

Multiple Singaporeans have been charged under the act—and several have been sentenced to death in the past.

However, Malaysia abolished the mandatory death penalty in July 2023 and has maintained an official moratorium on executions since 2018, meaning judges now have the discretion to impose prison sentences instead.

Authorities and lawmakers have noted a reported rise in large-scale drug smuggling cases since the sentencing reform, though Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stated in Parliament earlier this month that a direct link between the abolition and increased trafficking has not been established, attributing the trend to porous borders.

Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, X, Instagram, or Threads.

...