Indian national with 10kg ketamine hidden between sarees nabbed at Terengganu airport

An Indian national who attempted to smuggle 10kg of ketamine in a suitcase packed with sarees at the Sultan Mahmud Airport (LTSM) yesterday has found himself in a ''bind'' with the long arm of the law.

The drug worth about RM700,000 was found hidden in a modified compartment of the suitcase under a pile of 29 saree fabrics when an enforcement team from the Terengganu Customs Department inspected the luggage at 8.55am.

The department director, Aidid Tajuddin said the 37-year-old suspect was detained to facilitate investigations into a ring which smuggled drugs using sarees to avoid detection by the authorities.

"The ketamine was found hidden in a modified compartment of the suitcase belonging to the suspect who claimed he was in the country to market the fabrics.

"He has been remanded for 12 days to facilitate investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952," he told a press conference here today.

According to Aidid, the suspect who arrived in Kuala Terengganu from Bengaluru, India after transiting at the KL International Airport on Friday, faces the death penalty upon conviction under the Act.

He said the Indian national's luggage only arrived at the LTSM yesterday, adding that the man had entered the country thrice between January and March this year and arrived in the state for the first time.

-- BERNAMA