MAS Pilot held after allegedly flying jet while high on drugs Customs seize 70,000 ecstasy pills after landing in IndonesiaA Malaysian airline pilot has been arrested in Indonesia after allegedly flying a passenger jet while under the influence of multiple drugs before customs officers discovered more than 70,000 ecstasy pills in his luggage. Indonesian customs officials said the 39-year-old pilot, identified only by the initials MSO, had just landed a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta when officers searched his baggage. They allegedly found 14 bags containing more than 70,000 MDMA tablets, along with a small quantity of methamphetamine in his hand luggage, which investigators believe was for personal use. Drug tests reveal multiple substancesOfficials said urine tests carried out immediately after the flight were positive for methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine. "What concerns all of us is that this person's profession is a pilot, and at the time he arrived, he had just flown that plane from Kuala Lumpur to Indonesia," customs official Hengky Tomuan Palindungan Artionang told reporters. Investigators believe the pilot was acting as a drug courier and had agreed to transport the drugs in return for a payment of around 50,000 Malaysian ringgit (£9,000). Faces life sentence or executionThe suspect has been charged under Indonesia's strict anti-drug laws, which carry penalties ranging from life imprisonment to the death sentence for major trafficking offences. Investigators said the pilot admitted making previous drug-smuggling trips, including another journey into Indonesia and one into Malaysia. Although customs officials did not identify the airline, the flight number indicated the aircraft was operated by Malaysia Airlines. The carrier said it would not comment while the investigation was ongoing but confirmed it has launched an internal review and would fully cooperate with Indonesian authorities. SOURCE
