FOREIGNERS NOW BEING USED AS DRUG COURIERS

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- International drugs syndicates that used
local women as drug couriers have switched tactics and are using Filipino and
Singaporean women in the country as their couriers, said police.

Federal Narcotics Department director Zul Hasnan Najib Baharuddin said
the police's success in arresting 13 people Monday revealed the change in
tactics.

Those arrested were seven African males, a Pakistani man, a Filipino woman,
a Singaporean woman, two local men and a local woman.

In a 6am operation Monday, the Singaporean woman was arrested at the Low
Cost Carrier Terminal at Sepang when the bag she was carrying was found to
contain 560 grammes of heroin.

"Inspection of the bag carried by the woman, who wanted to board a flight to
Hainan, China, revealed heroin hidden in a concealed compartment," he said in a
statement here Tuesday.

Zul Hasnan said following her arrest police arrested a Filipino woman at the
Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 10.20am the same day.

He said the Filipino woman, who wanted to board a flight to Karachi,
Paksitan and the Singaporean woman were suspected of being used as couriers by
the syndicate.

Zul Hasnan said following the arrest of the two foreign women police
conducted several raids in the Klang Valley and Selangor between 2pm and 5pm
Monday.

That was when the seven Nigerian men, the Pakistani man, the two local men
and the local woman suspected to be members of an international drugs syndicate
were arrested.

He said police also confiscated a Perodua Kancil and cash of RM2,326, 200 US
Dollars, 16 Singapore Dollars and 400 Yuan as well as two laptop computers.

He said police as such had busted another international drugs syndicate.

"The syndicates have lately used Singaporeans and Filipinos, especially
women, to smuggle drugs to countries in the region after we successfully rescued
several Malaysians from being used as couriers," he said.

--BERNAMA