Indonesia arrests Malaysian pilot for allegedly smuggling 26kg of MDMA

JAKARTA - Indonesia arrested a Malaysian pilot who allegedly smuggled 26kg of the mind-altering drug MDMA into the capital Jakarta while on the job and under the influence of drugs, the customs office said on July 31.The pilot, 39, was arrested on July 30 at Jakarta's main airport.The pilot, who was identified by the initials MS, had just flown a Malaysian Airlines plane from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, said customs officer Hengky Tomuan Parlindungan Aritonang in a press conference on July 31.Named a criminal suspect, the pilot had brought MDMA in a suitcase to Jakarta at the request of an unidentified person with the promise of a RM50,000 (S$15,800) reward, the customs office said.The pilot had been under the influence of cocaine and methamphetamine after a urine test, Hengky said, adding Indonesia and Malaysian authorities are in communication.Hengky said the pilot was a courier.Malaysia Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Indonesia has strict drug laws and in 2015 executed two Australians in the Bali Nine drug ring for attempting to smuggle heroin out of the resort island of Bali. REUTERS