KOTA KINABALU: Hiding a kilogram of syabu inside a packet of Chinese tea placed inside a briefcase was not enough to get a 20-year-old drug trafficker past customs at the international airport here.

The suspect underwent a random inspection where his briefcase was scanned upon arrival from Kuala Lumpur on May 19, said Sabah Customs department director Datuk Janathan Kandok.

“When our men scanned the briefcase, they spotted the packet and found the syabu packed inside the Chinese tea packet,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

The street value of the syabu was around RM500,000.

Janathan said they were now investigating the suspect and his connections with drug trafficking groups.

“We are not sure if the drugs were meant for the Sabah market,” he said, adding that they were also checking if the suspect was involved in other trips into the state for drug trafficking activities.

Investigations are being carried out under the Section 39B of Dangerous Drugs Act which carried the mandatory death sentence if found guilty by the courts.

Janathan said that since 2012, Sabah Customs have arrested 21 people for trafficking in various types of illicit drugs worth nearly RM14mil at the Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau airports.

He said of the 21 arrested, six were women. Twelve of them were Malaysians while the rest were foreigners.

He said nine of them have been convicted and the cases of 12 others were pending in the courts.

Janathan also urged the public to not be unduly alarmed by the presence of sniffer dogs at the airport.

“We are aware that some people feel uncomfortable but these dogs are carrying out their duties,” he added.-thestar