Malaysia Airlines Co-pilot Arrested for Drug Smuggling, Allegedly Paid Rp 219 Million

Indonesian police have revealed the arrest of Mohd Saufi bin Othman (39), a co-pilot for Malaysia Airlines, for allegedly smuggling drugs into Indonesia on three separate occasions. According to police statements, Othman confessed to acting on the orders of drug syndicates and receiving a reward of 50,000 Malaysian Ringgit (approximately Rp 219 million) per smuggling trip. Kombes Awaludin Amin, Head of Sub-Directorate II of the National Police's Narcotics Crime Investigation Directorate (Dittipidnarkoba Bareskrim Polri), stated that investigations are ongoing to determine Othman's involvement in the drug network. His testimony indicates he transported drugs to Jakarta twice and to another region once, with the possibility of further revelations. "50 thousand ringgit for now. That's for the third case," Amin told Detik on Tuesday (4/8/2026). Amin further explained that his team is investigating Othman's alleged involvement in the drug syndicate. "Because based on our interrogation and the suspect's police report, he stated that he brought these illegal goods to Indonesia three times. Twice to Jakarta and once to another region. And it is not impossible that this number will increase. So we ask for time to conduct an in-depth investigation regarding this suspect," he explained. Handed over to Bareskrim Polri by customs authorities, Othman tested positive for three types of narcotics during examination. Police are also investigating the possibility that he was under the influence of drugs during flights. Additionally, authorities found a small bottle containing 'spare' urine among his belongings, believed to be for falsifying drug test results in case of random airport checks. Malaysia Airlines issued a statement in response to its pilot's arrest for allegedly smuggling tens of kilograms of ecstasy. The Malaysian airline stated it will cooperate with Indonesian authorities in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. According to the Malaysian official news agency Bernama, Malaysia Airlines said it refrains from further comment, but takes the allegations seriously. In a statement to Bernama, the Malaysian national carrier said it is not appropriate to comment further as the matter is still under investigation by Indonesian authorities. "Malaysia Airlines wishes to reiterate that it does not tolerate any form of misconduct and is currently conducting an internal review of the matter," it said, as reported by Free Malaysia Today on Friday (31/7).