BEEF UP SECURITY AT ALL EXIT POINTS TO CURB DRUG MULE MENACE - DEPUTY FM

KUCHING, April 25 (Bernama) -- Security at all exit points will be enhanced
to curb drug smuggling and the 'drug mule' menace said Deputy Foreign minister
Richard Riot.

Richard Riot said the matter would be raised in the Cabinet meeting next
week as a move to prevent Malaysians from becoming victims of drug syndicates
that used them as 'drug mules'.

"It is not an effort to find fault or weakness of any government agencies
responsible for security at exit points, especially airports, but an additional
move to tighten security," he told reporters here Monday.

Richard Riot said since 1991, as many as 1,880 Malaysians had been detained
overseas, and 833 of such cases were related to drugs.

He said the question was how did those involved in smuggling drugs, get
through the security checks here but later arrested when arriving in other
countries.

Richard Riot said the latest case in which a private college student from
Sarawak was caught with 700 grams of heroine at the Shenzhen Airport in China
was another example of how easily Malaysians are duped through Facebook.

"The student from Betong, Sarawak had voluntarily swallowed 100 heroine
pills after being offered RM5,000 by her South African 'boyfriend' whom she had
befriended through the Facebook and known as Chimezie Michael," he said.

He also expressed concern with an increase in the number of Malaysians
involved in drug cases involving international drug syndicates since in the
first three months alone, 11 Malaysian have been detained in foreign countries
and alarmingly, nine are women.

The number of cases saw a drop last when 75 cases were reported but in 2008
and 2009, there were 115 and 119 cases respectively, he said.