Penang authorities probing into ganja seizures at airport, mail centre

BUTTERWORTH: The authorities are investigating two drug seizures involving ganja at the Penang International Airport and a local mail and courier centre.
State Customs director Rohaizad Ali said in the first case, Customs officers from the PIA passenger inspection branch, at 11.35am on March 4, discovered an unclaimed luggage on Carousel A containing 29 transparent packages of dried plant material suspected to be ganja.
"The luggage had arrived on an international flight from China and bore no identifying information," he said at a press conference here today.
"The seized items weighed an estimated 16,210g, with a street value of about RM1.59 million.
"We believe the drugs were smuggled into the country as checked-in personal luggage."
He said the case is still under investigation.
In a separate incident on April 16, Rohaizad said, Customs officers from the Narcotics Unit, assisted by drug detection dogs, intercepted four suspicious parcels during an inspection at the Mail and Courier Centre , Pos Malaysia Bhd, in the state.
He said the parcels, declared as containing nine comic books, were found to hold 2,236g of dried plant material, also suspected to be ganja.
He said the estimated street value was RM219,128.
"The items had previously been exported to the United Kingdom and marked 'returned parcel'."
Both cases are being investigated under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
If convicted, offenders may face the death penalty or life imprisonment, along with a minimum of 12 strokes of the rotan if not sentenced to death.

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