Malaysia arrests second pilot linked to Jakarta Ecstasy pills smuggling

Police said the suspect was in charge of handling the proceeds of the drug sales1-MIN READ1-MIN0ListenPublished: 3:05pm, 9 Sep 2026A second pilot has been arrested in the ongoing investigation of a drug trafficking case involving a Malaysia-airlines" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="1518" data-entity-type="organization">Malaysia Airlines pilot arrested in Indonesia for allegedly smuggling drugs worth 45 million ringgit (US$11 million).Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Commissioner Hussein Omar Khan said the latest arrest was made two days ago and that the suspect was believed to be in charge of handling the proceeds of the drug sales.“He was caught in the Klang Valley area and is in his 30s. He was involved in the handling of the money, specifically in the transferring of money,” Hussein told reporters on Wednesday.“Drug tests conducted showed that he tested negative for drugs. So this arrest brings the total arrests to seven as of now.”It is believed that the suspect worked for a different airline from the first pilot who was arrested in Indonesia.01:39Malaysian police investigate how pilot moved drugs past 4 layers of airport checksPreviously, six suspects were arrested based on information obtained during the questioning of the first pilot by a team of NCID officers sent to Jakarta from August 11 to 15.The suspects are believed to be suppliers and couriers who provided drugs to the first pilot, who was detained at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after arriving from Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia-airlines" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="1518" data-entity-type="organization">Malaysia Airlines flight MH727 in late July.Indonesian customs officers found 14 packages containing 70,114 Ecstasy pills weighing about 25kg (55lbs) in his luggage, as well as 4 grams of methamphetamine in his carry-on belongings.According to Indonesian police, the co-pilot had allegedly been promised 50,000 ringgit to transport the drugs to Jakarta, where they were to be collected by another individual from a hotel.This story was first published by The StarFurther Reading