Sarawak to seal drug transit gaps in courier systems

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Fatimah (centre) speaks to reporters after receiving a courtesy visit from the Bukit Aman NCID entourage at her office.

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KUCHING: The Sarawak Government is stepping up efforts to plug loopholes in courier service screening systems following discoveries that drug syndicates are using the services to bring narcotics into the state as a transit hub.

Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, said such issues have been identified in a recent One-Stop Committee (OSC) meeting on drug and substance abuse.

“In our recent meeting, we confirmed that syndicates are routing drugs through Sarawak before moving them to other destinations. The modus operandi often involves the use of courier services,” she said.

She recalled a visit to Miri Airport last year, where she witnessed the overwhelming volume of parcels processed each day.

“There were about six tonnes of parcels in one day alone – it looked like a mountain.

“You can imagine how difficult it is to inspect each one. Although there is a screening machine, it only detects metal, not drugs,” she said when met by reporters after receiving a courtesy visit from Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department’s (NCID) top officers today.

Fatimah warned that drug syndicates are taking advantage of this vulnerability, and called for swift and coordinated action from all relevant agencies.

She stated that this is an area that must be addressed urgently as the sheer volume of parcels makes it challenging to detect drug shipments effectively.

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