KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta is seeking consular access to a Malaysian pilot detained in Indonesia over alleged drug trafficking offences following his arrest at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport earlier this week.
The embassy said it had received official notification from Indonesia’s Directorate of Drug Crimes under the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) regarding the detention of the Malaysian national at Terminal 3 of the airport, Bernama reported.
“The Embassy respects Indonesia’s legal process and is engaging with the Indonesian authorities to obtain consular access to the Malaysian citizen concerned,” it said in a statement on Friday.
The statement was issued after Indonesian authorities announced that the 39-year-old pilot was arrested on July 29 for allegedly attempting to smuggle about 25 kilogrammes of ecstasy, with an estimated value of Rp60 billion (RM14 million).
Indonesian authorities said the seized drugs consisted of 70,114 ecstasy pills and four grammes gross of methamphetamine, which were allegedly concealed in the suspect’s luggage and uncovered during an inspection at the airport.
Investigators said preliminary findings suggested that the suspect may have previously smuggled narcotics into Indonesia and was believed to be linked to an international drug trafficking network.
They added that investigations were ongoing to identify other members of the alleged syndicate and determine the intended recipients of the drugs in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines said it would cooperate fully with the relevant authorities while declining to comment further as the matter remains under investigation.
In a statement to Bernama, the national carrier said it took allegations involving its personnel seriously and would comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
“Malaysia Airlines wishes to reiterate that it does not tolerate any form of misconduct and is currently conducting an internal review into the matter,” it said.
The airline added that the safety, security and integrity of its operations remained its highest priority.
Indonesia Customs and Excise director general Djaka Budi Utama said the pilot was being investigated for allegedly attempting to traffic ecstasy worth about 60 billion rupiah.
The suspect was reported to have arrived in Jakarta on Malaysian Airlines flight MH727 from Kuala Lumpur before being arrested at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Wednesday. – July 31, 2026