JAKARTA: A 73-year-old Japanese man was arrested in western Indonesia for allegedly attempting to smuggle crystal methamphetamine into the country, an offence punishable by death, Customs official said here the other day.
He was detained Saturday when his flight from Malaysia landed in the city of Padang, on Sumatra Island, and customs officials found 2.5kg of the drug hidden in his bag, they said.
“He claimed that he was not aware that (the bag) contained illegal drugs,” said Padang Customs official Untung Suropati.
The man, whom police did not identify, had travelled to China, Macau and Malaysia before arriving in Indonesia, Suropati said.