( dpa )- The Malaysian Customs and Excise Department seized hallucinogenic pills worth 3.7 million ringgit (1.09 million dollars) in its biggest drug haul in recent years, news report said Wednesday.
A Thai national was detained Tuesday morning in connection with the drug seizure in the border area of the northern state of Kelantan, the New Straits Times newspaper reported.
The suspect was flagged down by a team of officers while attempting to drive through a customs, immigration and quarantine complex without declaring his goods. During a random search, the officers found 14 packages containing the pills hidden in the rear seats, state customs director Che Jamil Ahmad said.
Describing the seizure as the biggest in the past four years, Che Jamil said the remanded man is in his 40s and would be assisting investigations into the existence of a local crime syndicate with links to a Thai counterpart.
Malaysia's tough drug laws prescribe a mandatory sentence of death by hanging for anyone found guilty of trafficking most types of drugs.