*** Pilot Caught Trafficking Narcotics While High Risks Death Penalty | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Pilot Caught Trafficking Narcotics While High Risks Death Penalty

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JAKARTA:  A 39-year-old Malaysian pilot faces the death penalty in Indonesia after testing positive for methamphetamine, MDMA, and cocaine after flying a commercial passenger aircraft from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta.

The pilot was taken into custody on Wednesday at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport shortly after landing. Airport customs inspectors searched his luggage and uncovered 26 kilograms of MDMA containing over 70,000 ecstasy tablets hidden in 14 bags inside his checked suitcase. 

Subsequent drug screenings confirmed he was actively under the influence of multiple narcotics while operating the flight.

Indonesian police revealed the pilot acted as a courier for an international drug syndicate in exchange for a promised RM50,000 ($12,200) payment, marking his third smuggling attempt into the country. Charged under Indonesia's stringent narcotics laws, he risks execution by firing squad if convicted.