Jakarta. An international drug trafficking network allegedly exploited special handling for airline crew to smuggle more than 70,000 ecstasy pills into Indonesia through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, betting that pilots would face less scrutiny than ordinary passengers, authorities said Friday.

Customs officers and the National Police arrested a Malaysian co-pilot identified as MS after finding 70,114 MDMA tablets weighing about 26 kilograms in his crew-tagged suitcase following his arrival from Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines flight MH727 on July 29.

The case highlights how trafficking networks may be seeking to exploit airport procedures that classify airline crew as low-risk travelers, according to customs and police officials.

Hengky Tomuan Parlindungan Aritonang, head of the Soekarno-Hatta customs office, said officers became suspicious of MS's suitcase and conducted a further inspection. They found 14 packages containing the ecstasy pills inside the luggage, which carried a special crew claim tag distinguishing it from ordinary passenger baggage.

“The crew pilot receives special treatment because they are considered low risk. That may have led the syndicate to believe that using a pilot would be safe,” Hengky said.

The authorities also found several grams of methamphetamine among MS's personal belongings. The exact weight reported by authorities varied from the initial findings, with customs citing about 4 grams and police later putting the amount at about 2.7 grams.

MS allegedly told investigators that he had been promised 50,000 Malaysian ringgit, or about Rp221 million, to transport the drugs from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta.

Police said the suspect was allegedly instructed to bring the drugs to Jakarta and await further directions from a contact believed to be in Malaysia before delivering the shipment to a recipient at a hotel in the capital.

Awaludin Amin, head of Subdirectorate II of the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department narcotics division, said the case was unusual because the trafficking network appeared to have recruited an airline crew member as a courier.

“This is a very unusual case and we were quite surprised because the syndicate appears to have gone as far as recruiting a pilot,” Awaludin said at a press conference on Friday.

The use of crew baggage may have provided the syndicate with a perceived advantage because airline personnel use separate check-in and baggage procedures from ordinary passengers.

“The special treatment is given to pilots around the world. Crew pilots receive special treatment because they are considered low risk,” Awaludin said.

Investigators are now examining whether the same route or crew-handling procedures have been used in other drug shipments by the network.

Police said MS also claimed during questioning that he had been involved in two previous drug-smuggling operations. He allegedly said he had previously transported methamphetamine to Sabah and later brought about 7 kilograms of methamphetamine to Jakarta.

Authorities cautioned that those claims had not yet been independently verified. Investigators are still determining what substances were allegedly transported, how much was involved and who ordered or received the shipments.

MS also tested positive for methamphetamine in a urine examination, according to police, adding another element to the investigation into his alleged involvement with the trafficking network.

The customs office subsequently handed MS and the seized evidence over to the National Police for further investigation.

Police said investigators are examining digital evidence, questioning additional witnesses and working to identify other members of the alleged international trafficking network before submitting the case to prosecutors.

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