After Malaysian pilot brought 25 kg ecstasy, Soekarno-Hatta Customs tightens crew checks
The new rules cover foreign and Indonesian crew, but only baggage screening, not drug testing.
Soekarno-Hatta Airport Customs has tightened baggage inspections for flight crews after the discovery of a smuggling attempt involving 70,114 ecstasy pills weighing 25.19 kilograms carried by a pilot from Malaysia. Soekarno-Hatta Customs KPU chief Hengky Tomuan Parlindungan Aritonang said the special lane for crew members will remain available, but random checks will be stepped up for pilots and flight crews. The policy applies to crew on international and domestic airlines, including Indonesian crew serving overseas routes. The tighter screening focuses on items entering the airport, not drug tests, which fall under the authority of the Ministry of Transportation or the airlines. In the case, officers also seized 4 grams of methamphetamine from the pilot's personal suitcase on MH727 on the Kuala Lumpur-Indonesia route.