KUALA LUMPUR: Police have outlined several proposals to combat the increasing number of drug smuggling cases using courier service.
Bukit Aman Narcotics CID deputy director Datuk Kamarulzaman Mamat said the installation of scanning machines and closed-circuit television (CCTV) at courier company sending and collection counters are among the proposals.
“In a meeting on Jan 16, 74 courier company representatives present agreed to cooperate with police.
“They are aware of the modus operandi by drug traffickers in using courier service to smuggle drugs which is seen as getting more rampant,” he told Bernama.
Towards stamping out drugs coming through courier service, police will be launching a personnel screening operation to ensure courier service operator employees are free from drug abuse, he said.
Kamarulzaman said the matter was discussed even though it has not been implemented.
“Police also want to have a contact person established in courier companies to report any trafficking or smuggling activities.
“A Drug-Free Malaysia Campaign would be launched involving courier companies as a medium by displaying stickers on their respective vehicles,” he said.
Commenting further, Kamarulzaman said there were 25 cases of drug trafficking via courier from 2017 to 2019 involving 18 arrests.
“In 2017, seven cases were recorded but no arrests were made while in 2018, there were three cases with seven arrests made.
Kamarulzaman said the number of cases continued to rise with 15 cases last year with 11 arrests recorded.
“From these cases, police succeeded in seizing various drugs valued at more than RM1 million,” he said.
In early January, former Bukit Aman Narcotics CID director Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader said police would be meeting 116 courier service operators to discuss the issues of such companies being used as a medium for trafficking drugs nationwide. – Bernama
