The Malaysian Coast Guard has seized the largest methamphetamine shipment in its history, reports Reuters .
On Wednesday, December 9, a patrol drew attention to a yacht making suspicious maneuvers near Penang Island. The 26-year-old Malaysian who was on board did not stop the vessel at the request of the coast guard and tried to escape the chase, and when this failed, he jumped into the water. The smuggler was later arrested.
The yacht was carrying 130 bags of methamphetamine disguised as Chinese tea. The total weight of the intercepted drugs was 2,118 kilograms, and their value is estimated at 105.9 million Malaysian ringgits (1.9 billion rubles).
The origin and recipient of the shipment has not yet been established. Earlier, methamphetamine in similar packaging was attempted to be imported into Malaysia from Myanmar.
In 2013 it was reported that Malaysia sentenced to death three citizens of Uzbekistan. They tried to smuggle 10 kilograms of methamphetamine into the country.