POLICE nabbed two women trying to smuggle syabu into Indonesia by each hiding 20 plastic bags of the drugs in their girdle, while dressed in Muslim gown and hijab last Wednesday.

Tawau police chief Peter Umbuas said the two women, aged 38 and 40, from West Sulawesi, Indonesia, were arrested at KM37 of Jalan Tawau-Semporna, while travelling in a vehicle, driven by a 48-year-old local man, who was also detained at 5.50am.

“Police stopped a Perodua Viva and after an inspection, found the two female suspects carrying 2.16kg of syabu worth an estimated RM72,720.

“The drugs were hidden in their girdles in four packages, each containing 10 plastic bags of syabu,” he told a press conference today.

Umbuas said only the male driver tested positive for drugs. All the suspects have no criminal records.

Investigations are still underway under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, with all three of them remanded for seven days until next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, on the seizure of 303.15kg of syabu, worth more than RM10 million, and the arrest of a man in Kg Batu Payung on September 6, Umbuas said police detained three more local men to assist in the investigations.

He said the suspects, aged between 40 and 50, were arrested between September 7 and 10 in Tawau and Kunak. Police also confiscated two vehicles.

He added that the case was still under investigation and it was too early to say if there were any links to an international drug syndicate. – Bernama, September 17, 2021.