A commercial airline pilot was arrested in Indonesia after authorities allegedly found more than 70,000 ecstasy pills in his suitcase and determined that he had flown a passenger jet while under the influence of several drugs.
The 39-year-old Malaysian pilot, identified only by the initials MSO, was taken into custody Wednesday at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport near Jakarta, Indonesian customs officials announced Friday.
Authorities said they discovered at least 14 bags containing approximately 26 kilograms, or more than 57 pounds, of MDMA inside the pilot’s checked luggage. The massive haul reportedly contained more than 70,000 ecstasy pills.
Customs officers also allegedly found four grams, or about 0.14 ounces, of methamphetamine in his carry-on bag.
Officials said the pilot claimed that the meth was for his personal use.
A urine test administered shortly after the flight allegedly came back positive for methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine, raising fears that the pilot had flown the aircraft while impaired.
“The results of his urine test came back positive for meth, MDMA and cocaine,” customs official Hengky Tomuan Palindungan Artionang told reporters in Jakarta. “So, at the time of the flight, he was under the influence.”
“What concerns all of us is that this person’s profession is a pilot, and at the time he arrived, he had just flown that plane from Kuala Lumpur to Indonesia,” Hengky added.
Officials did not publicly name the airline employing the pilot. However, the flight number reportedly indicated that he had been operating a Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta.
Investigators believe the pilot transported the suitcase filled with MDMA to Jakarta for an unidentified person after being promised a payment of approximately 50,000 Malaysian ringgit, equal to roughly $12,000 in U.S. currency.
Authorities have formally named him as a criminal suspect accused of acting as a drug courier under Indonesia’s notoriously strict narcotics laws.
The pilot allegedly told investigators that he had previously transported illegal drugs on other occasions, including an earlier trip to Indonesia and another within Malaysia.
If convicted of drug trafficking, he could face life in prison or even the death penalty.
Indonesia has some of the harshest anti-drug laws in the world, and trafficking large quantities of narcotics can carry a death sentence. The country, however, has not carried out an execution in several years.
In 2015, Indonesia executed two Australian members of the so-called Bali Nine after they were convicted of attempting to smuggle heroin out of Bali.
Malaysia Airlines declined to discuss the allegations in detail while the case remains under investigation.
The carrier said it does not tolerate misconduct and has launched its own internal review.
Malaysia Airlines also said it would cooperate fully with Indonesian authorities as the investigation continues.
Hilarious 😂