Sharp, essential news and analysis from Malaysia.
Indonesia's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has intercepted more than 300 drug cases in seven months, averaging two daily. Recent arrests of Malaysian nationals have intensified focus on how regional aviation hubs are exploited by smuggling syndicates.
Malaysian authorities have apprehended a Thai national for attempting to smuggle approximately RM8,000 worth of petai and pomelos through an illegal jetty in Kelantan's Rantau Panjang area.
A Canadian citizen has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment in Pakistan for attempting to illegally export more than US$111,000 in foreign currency without proper declaration, highlighting the country's strict enforcement of currency control regulations.
Authorities arrested a 36-year-old man at a Rantau Panjang petrol station on suspicion of repeatedly purchasing fuel for illicit transport into Thailand, highlighting ongoing cross-border smuggling challenges.
An Indian tourist has been jailed for over two years after stealing a S$200,000 diamond from a Singapore jewellery store using a carefully planned counterfeit swap scheme. His accomplice's case remains pending.
Malaysian authorities have arrested a 20-year-old driver and seized 350 kilogrammes of smuggled durians valued at over RM50,000, along with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, at an illegal jetty in Rantau Panjang.
Malaysia's anti-corruption and customs authorities are joining forces to create a specialised task force monitoring tax collection and enforcement operations at major ports nationwide.
Vietnamese authorities have charged four people including jewellery shop owners and a gem certification employee as part of a widening investigation into an international diamond smuggling operation orchestrated from Hong Kong by Indian nationals.
An Indian national will stand trial in Ho Chi Minh City later this month for allegedly smuggling nearly 1,500 diamonds into Vietnam across five separate trips, in a case that also involves bribery and fraud charges against multiple co-defendants.
Malaysian Customs authorities have dismantled two significant smuggling operations in Kuala Lumpur, recovering contraband valued at RM2.57 million and arresting foreign nationals involved in illicit liquor production and tobacco importation.
German customs authorities arrested a 22-year-old man at Berlin Airport in early June after discovering 16 kilograms of ketamine concealed in vacuum-sealed bags within his luggage, with investigators suspecting links to organised crime networks.