Sabah Customs bust RM3m drug syndicate at Tawau airport
Published on: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Published on: Wed, May 20, 2026
By: Crystal Hermenegildus
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The seized items.
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Customs busted a drug syndicate using airlines and courier services to smuggle illicit substances into the state, seizing over 61kg of drugs worth more than RM3 million in raids at Tawau International Airport and a warehouse on May 11.
State Customs director Dr Ahmad Taufik Sulaiman said the biggest seizure involved 57.27kg of methamphetamine valued at RM2.86 million discovered in four pieces of luggage at the airport.
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In a press conference, he said officers detected suspicious items during baggage screening at about 1.35pm before uncovering 142 plastic packets believed to contain methamphetamine during a physical inspection.
Authorities believe the syndicate used courier services to conceal the drugs in plastic packets before packing them into luggage bound for Tawau.
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