Jakarta. Indonesian authorities arrested a 22-year-old Malaysian national after allegedly finding nearly 1 kilogram of methamphetamine and more than 1,000 ecstasy pills concealed under a corset at Juanda International Airport in Sidoarjo.

The suspect, identified by the initials DI, was arrested at Terminal 2 after arriving on Batik Air flight OD 352 from Kuala Lumpur to Surabaya, authorities said Monday.

Officers found four packages containing a combined 990 grams of methamphetamine and four packages containing 1,089 ecstasy pills hidden beneath the corset wrapped around his body, according to authorities.

DI allegedly told investigators that he agreed to work as a courier for an international drug network because he was struggling financially and had accumulated debts.

“The suspect tried to conceal the narcotics under the corset he was wearing to avoid inspection. However, the attempt was foiled,” Juanda Naval Air Base commander Col. Henoch Nasairus Virzawan said at a news conference Monday.

Authorities estimated the seized drugs had a street value of around Rp 2.79 billion ($155,000). They said the seizure potentially prevented the drugs from reaching about 6,584 users.

DI and the seized narcotics were handed over to investigators at the Sidoarjo municipal police for further legal proceedings and to help uncover the wider network allegedly involved in the international drug trade. He faces five to 20 years in prison to life imprisonment or the death penalty.

The Juanda seizure follows a separate case involving a Malaysian commercial airline pilot who was arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle more than 25 kilograms of ecstasy into Indonesia through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

The pilot, identified by the initials MS, was arrested on July 28 after customs officers flagged his suitcase for inspection following an X-ray scan at the international arrivals terminal.

A search reportedly uncovered 14 packages containing 70,114 ecstasy pills weighing a combined 25.19 kilograms. Officers also found 2.7 grams of methamphetamine in a black backpack.

Authorities said MS told investigators that another person had instructed him to transport the drugs to Jakarta in exchange for 50,000 Malaysian ringgit. He was allegedly expected to receive further instructions from a contact in Malaysia before delivering the drugs to a recipient at a Jakarta hotel.

Police also said MS claimed to have carried out two previous drug-smuggling operations, including transporting methamphetamine to Sabah and later bringing about 7 kilograms of methamphetamine into Jakarta.

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