KUCHING: A 22-year-old female nursing student from Betong has become the latest Malaysian to be caught in a foreign country for drug smuggling.
This was revealed by Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Richard Riot at a news conference at the Federal Complex here yesterday.
He said the suspect, taking a nursing course in a college in Kuala Lumpur, was detained upon her arrival in Shenzhen Airport in Guang Zhou, China on March 11.
“What really upsets us is that the woman who was a private college student in Kota Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, had voluntarily swallowed the pills for just RM5,000 promised to her if she succeeds to bring out the drug.
“She was promised that sum by a South African man known as Chimezie Michael whom she knew through social networking website Facebook,” he added.
“The authorities there pulled her in after the narcotics people there detected the substances in her stomach which was said to have weighed between 600 to 700 grams,” he explained.
In the wake of the latest case, Riot warned Malaysians, particularly young girls and single mothers, to be cautious when befriending someone through Facebook.
“Our advice is always be careful when befriending someone in Facebook to aovid falling victims,” he said.
He said the saddest part was that this is the second case involving Sarawakians over a period of less than six months.
“Last year, a teenage girl, a student from Politeknik Matang, Kuching was also caught for alleged drug trafficking.
“She innocently carried two bags given to her by a South African man she knew through Facebook. On her arrival in China she was arrested after the authorities found drugs in her bags,” he disclosed.
He said it was a real pity as in most cases the ‘traffickers’ were really innocent parties. Earlier, during the press conference, Riot said the arrests of Malaysians overseas for drug related offences could have been due to the lack of security measures at the international entry points in this country.
However, he said it was not appropriate and unfair for him to comment on the matter as it was under other authorities, adding that all they could do was to bring up the matter to the Cabinet.
“We don’t know what the actual problem is and as such we cannot point fingers at any party anyhow.
“The best is to take up the matter to the Cabinet since we have our meeting every Wednesday, chaired by the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak),” he disclosed.
He also said his ministry was concerned with the increase in the number of Malaysians being caught overseas for possessing drugs brought in from the country with or without their knowledge.
According to him, up to March 31 this year, 11 Malaysians were arrested in China alone.
ADA CAHAYA
13 years ago
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