Malaysian police warn public being used as air mules for cannabis shipments to Europe

At a press briefing in Bachok, the director of the Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department, Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, said drug trafficking networks moving cannabis to Europe rely heavily on unsuspecting citizens as air mules, luring them with promises of high payments, free flights or vacation packages. While a handful of pilots have been detained, only one or two were involved, such as a co-pilot seized in Jakarta who was en route to Australia and Indonesia rather than Europe.

The police emphasized that most smuggling cases involve cannabis flowers due to strong demand in Europe. They urged the public to reject offers that seem unusually generous and warned that the Home Ministry is reviewing security measures at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Additional arrests have been recorded at Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh, and earlier investigations linked a Malaysian co-pilot to a seizure of ecstasy and methamphetamine in Indonesia valued at RM45 million.