| Let the pickle jokes begin! |
[Straits Times] AN Iranian man was arrested after trying to smuggle 5.7 million ringgit (S$2.35 million) worth of drugs disguised as pickled cucumbers into Malaysia, it was reported on Sunday.
Customs deputy director general Mohammad Hassim Pardi told state media the Iranian was detained with liquid methamphetamine at Kuala Lumpur's international airport on Friday after arriving on a flight from the Middle East. He said inspectors became suspicious after inspecting one of two bags the man was carrying, which contained five cans labelled as pickled cucumbers. However, no cucumbers could be seen when the luggage was screened.
Mohammad Hasim told the news agency Bernama it was the first time that customs officials had detected and foiled an attempt to smuggle liquid methamphetamine into Malaysia. 'When the liquid methamphetamine is processed or dried, it turns to crystals forming what is known as Ice,' he said.
'The Iranian man, who has been to Malaysia three times before, is now remanded for seven days to facilitate investigations,' he added. Mohammad Hassim said that, if found guilty of drug smuggling, the man faced the death penalty under Malaysia's harsh anti-narcotics laws. |