Is Malaysia Overly Dependent on Foreign Intelligence? Should This Issue Be Brought to Parliament?
KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 – The close cooperation between the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) has led to the largest drug bust in the country’s history, with an estimated value of RM1.62 billion.
However, a crucial question arises – could our authorities have seized these drugs without intelligence from AFP? If AFP had not shared information, would these drugs still have been intercepted, or would they have slipped into the black market?
This issue warrants discussion in Parliament, as the Home Minister should address Malaysia’s dependency on foreign intelligence in combating narcotics crimes.
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Largest Methamphetamine Drug Seizure
On January 25, the Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (JSJN) successfully seized 33,200 kilograms (kg) of compressed methamphetamine packed in 166 blue drum barrels at Westport, Port Klang.
According to Acting JSJN Director, Deputy Commissioner Mat Zani @ Mohd Salahuddin Che Ali, the drugs were shipped from Iran, transited through Malaysia, and were intended for Australia.
“Each container contained 83 barrels, with a total weight of approximately 16,600 kg per container, bringing the total to 33,200 kg.”
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Skyrocketing Profits in the International Market
Mat Zani revealed that the market price for these drugs in Malaysia is RM33,000 per kilogram, but in Australia, it skyrockets to RM400,000 per kilogram.
“If these drugs had not been seized, they could have been used by over 166 million individuals,” he stated.
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AFP Intelligence Key to Successful Seizure
PDRM delayed announcing the bust for two weeks as they needed to track down the sender and recipient companies and confirm the barrels contained methamphetamine.
“We delayed the announcement because we wanted to trace the sending and receiving companies. Secondly, we needed to ensure the contents were indeed methamphetamine,” explained Mat Zani.
During the operation, AFP arrested several individuals in Australia, but details of the arrests remain confidential as investigations are still ongoing.
“The containers were declared as cosmetics and candle-making materials.”
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Should This Issue Be Raised in Parliament? How Does the World View Malaysia?
If Malaysia relies solely on AFP intelligence to combat international drug syndicates, how does this reflect on our country’s ability to control drug smuggling?
The Home Minister should present this issue in Parliament to discuss the need to strengthen domestic intelligence, ensuring that Malaysia does not remain dependent on external sources in tackling narcotics crimes.
Firm action against crime and drug trafficking must continue to be reinforced so that Malaysia does not merely act as a follower in international operations, but instead becomes self-sufficient in combating organized crime.