Malaysia cautious of Iranians after drug arrests

Asian Defense News: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysian airport authorities have stepped up surveillance on Iranian travelers after dozens were held this year on suspicion of smuggling drugs, officials said Thursday.
Six Iranians were arrested this week alone for allegedly having methamphetamines while arriving on four separate flights at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, said Nordin Kadir, head of the police narcotics department in central Selangor state.
"It is a very big number," Nordin said, adding there were indications the Iranians were catering to a rising demand for methamphetamines among Malaysian drug-users.
The suspects face death by hanging if convicted of drug trafficking, though none has been charged yet because police haven't completed their investigations.
Those detained all came from Tehran and made transit stops in Bahrain and Dubai, Nordin said. Most of the drugs were hidden in the suspects' luggage. One man allegedly had eight packets of methampethamines sewn into his jacket, he said.
So far this year, 41 Iranians have been held for allegedly smuggling nearly 200 pounds (90 kilograms) of methamphetamines worth up to $6.5 million into Malaysia, said Othman Harun, deputy police chief of the federal narcotics department. For the whole of last year, 24 Iranians were detained for similar offenses.
Police have deployed more officers to monitor Iranian travelers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Othman said.
A Malaysian and two Singaporeans believed linked to Iranian smugglers were arrested Tuesday at an airport outside Kuala Lumpur, Othman said. They were on the way to the Philippines when allegedly found with 80 pounds (36 kilograms) of methamphetamines in their luggage, he said.

(By JULIA ZAPPEI,Associated Press Writer - Thursday, February 12)