Malaysia Airlines pilot arrested in Jakarta with 26 kilograms of ecstasy, methamphetamine

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities have arrested a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737 pilot after allegedly discovering more than 26 kilograms (57 pounds) of ecstasy and a package of methamphetamine in his luggage at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Police said the case was uncovered late Tuesday when customs officers identified a suspicious suitcase during X-ray screening at the airport’s international arrivals terminal. The luggage was later collected by the suspect, who authorities said had arrived on Malaysia Airlines flight MH727 from Kuala Lumpur.

“He has been named a suspect and detained,” Eko Hadi Santoso, director of narcotics crimes at Indonesia’s National Police Criminal Investigation Agency, said during a news conference on Friday.

Investigators said they are continuing to question the suspect and are working to identify others who may be connected to the alleged drug trafficking network. The pilot’s identity has not been publicly released.