Customs foil attempt to smuggle 51kg meth to Australia out of Port Klang

The attempt to smuggle 51.36kg of methamphetamine hidden in a consignment to Australia was foiled by the Customs Department at a warehouse in Port Klang.

Ribuan Abdullah, the Customs assistant director-general (enforcement), believes that they have successfully disrupted the operations of an international drug smuggling syndicate.

The drugs were discovered and seized during an operation conducted at 12.45pm on Sept 4.

A tip-off led to the confiscation of six boxes from a godown, and upon inspection, the drugs were found hidden in five of the boxes.

According to Ribuan, the methamphetamine was concealed within 50m-long rubber hoses.

An estimated value of RM1.7 million was assigned to the drugs, which could have served approximately 257,000 addicts.

Initial investigations suggest that the intention was to transport the drugs to Australia.

No arrests have been made at this point, as the exporters provided false information in the shipping documents.

However, the authorities are currently conducting investigations, and the case is being probed under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

This incident marks the 17th time that the Customs Department has successfully thwarted drug smuggling attempts targeting Australia.

The exact origin of the drugs cannot be determined at this time, according to Ribuan.

He stated that the drugs may have been smuggled into the country or even manufactured locally, but such claims remain unverified.

The public is encouraged to contact the department at 1-800 888 855 to provide any information relating to drug smuggling, as well as the smuggling of cigarettes, tobacco products, and alcoholic beverages.

The identities of informants will be treated confidentially.