KUALA LUMPUR: Two journalists arrested in connection with a drug and contraband smuggling syndicate were formerly military intelligence officers.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said both individuals had taken early retirement from the military before joining a media company as journalists.
“Investigations revealed their work as journalists served merely as a cover for their real roles within the syndicate,” he said today.
Yesterday, it was reported that a seven-day remand order had been obtained for suspects in the smuggling operation.
The 10 arrested include five military officers, two journalists from an online news portal, a company manager, an administrative assistant from the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), and a foreign woman.
Four male suspects were remanded until Aug 20, two men and one woman until Aug 18, and two men along with an Indonesian woman until Aug 15. The remand orders were issued by Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin at the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court following MACC’s application.
According to sources, the suspects, aged 30 to 55, were detained on Wednesday during “Op Sohor” — an MACC Intelligence Division operation carried out with police assistance across the Klang Valley.
Senior military intelligence officers allegedly leaked operational details to the syndicate, enabling them to avoid enforcement actions. The smuggled goods, which included drugs, cigarettes, and other contraband from neighbouring countries, were estimated to be worth around RM5 million a month.
During the raid, MACC seized more than RM63,000 in cash, several packages suspected to contain drugs, weighing and measuring tools, alcohol, and a replica firearm.
MACC Intelligence Division senior director Datuk Saiful Ezral Arifin confirmed the arrests, stating that the case is being investigated for corruption and money laundering.
