Indonesia arrests second Malaysian in days over drugs

Indonesian authorities have arrested a 22-year-old Malaysian on suspicion of smuggling methamphetamine and ecstasy into the country, the second Malaysian drug-smuggling arrest reported in days.

The person, identified only as DI, was detained in Surabaya on Monday shortly after arriving on a flight from Kuala Lumpur, airport security task force head Novi Manunggal said.

Novi said officials acting on a tipoff found drugs attached to the suspect's body. He said the haul included four packs containing 990 grams of crystal methamphetamine and four packets containing 1,089 ecstasy pills.

The suspect has been charged with smuggling more than five grams of drugs. In Indonesia, that offence can carry the death penalty.

Authorities arrested a 39-year-old Malaysian pilot last week at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport with more than 70,000 ecstasy tablets in his suitcase. The pilot had just flown a passenger plane from Malaysia, and later tests returned positive results for several illegal drugs.

Indonesia has strict anti-drug laws, including capital punishment for traffickers, but has maintained a moratorium on executions for several years. It last carried out drug-offence executions in 2016, when one Indonesian and three Nigerians were executed by firing squad.