SHAH ALAM — Federal narcotics police said today that drug syndicates may be favouring Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as a transit hub because flights from the airport are not prioritised for security screening over those from other regional airports.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Commissioner Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, however, said the number of arrests and drug seizures indicated that KLIA remained a preferred transit point for syndicates attempting to smuggle drugs overseas.

“There are several reasons why it is a preferred transit hub, one being the demand for narcotics in Europe, among other factors.

“As for the other reasons, maybe, just maybe, flights from KLIA receive less priority (are subjected to a lower level of security scrutiny) compared with those from other airports.

“That is just a possibility as to why other airports around Kuala Lumpur are not the preferred choice,” he told a press conference at the Selangor police contingent headquarters here.

From January to July this year, Hussein said a total of 108 drug bust cases were recorded at KLIA, compared with 54 cases during the same period last year.

“The number of arrests has also increased to 121 individuals, compared with 57 during the same period previously,” he said.

He added that the total amount of drugs seized had also risen nearly six-fold, from 235.36kg in 2025 to 1,353.41kg (1.3 tonnes) this year.

“The estimated value of the drugs seized in 2026 is RM108.35 million, compared with RM18.46 million last year,” he said.

Most recently, Hussein said a special operation aimed at preventing drug syndicates from using KLIA as a transit hub resulted in the arrest of 13 individuals allegedly used as drug mules to transport cannabis flower buds between July 27 and 31.