SHAH ALAM, Aug 4 — Police have identified an airport employee as a person of interest in the investigation involving a Malaysia Airlines pilot who was arrested in Indonesia after allegedly carrying drugs in his luggage.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the individual, believed to be in his 30s, is being investigated over possible links to the airport's security and logistics operations.
Police are also looking into the possibility that the pilot received assistance from an insider, raising questions over how the drugs were able to pass through security checks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
The investigation follows the arrest of the 39-year-old pilot by Indonesian authorities after he arrived in Jakarta on Malaysia Airlines flight MH727 from Kuala Lumpur.
Indonesian authorities reportedly discovered more than 26kg of drugs, including tens of thousands of ecstasy pills and methamphetamine, in luggage allegedly collected by the pilot after arriving at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
The pilot reportedly claimed that he had been offered RM50,000 to transport the shipment to Jakarta.
Indonesian authorities also said a drug screening conducted on the pilot returned positive results for several substances. The case is being investigated under Indonesia's strict narcotics laws, which carry severe penalties for large-scale drug trafficking offences.
Drugs allegedly collected from Ampang apartment
In the latest development, Malaysian police were reportedly informed that the drugs were allegedly collected from an apartment in Ampang before the pilot travelled to Jakarta.
The revelation has raised further questions over how the drugs were brought into the airport's baggage-handling system and subsequently passed through security procedures.
Investigators are now examining whether a wider network was involved, including individuals who may have helped obtain, handle or transport the drugs before the flight.
Malaysia Airlines has said it is cooperating with authorities and conducting its own internal investigation into the incident.
The case has also raised concerns over airport security procedures, particularly whether special access or arrangements available to airline crew could potentially be exploited by criminal networks.
Police investigations are ongoing, and being identified as a person of interest does not mean the airport employee has been charged with any offence.
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