Credit : Datuk Seri Saifuddin's X
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has highlighted Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s assurance that the security of the country’s entry points is among the MADANI Government’s top priorities, particularly in combating the smuggling of drugs and prohibited goods and strengthening coordination between enforcement agencies.
In a post shared on X on November 3, 2026, Saifuddin posted a video excerpt from Prime Minister’s Question Time (PMQT) in the Dewan Rakyat that day, in which Anwar answered a question from Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau) on steps to tighten security and address weak coordination among enforcement agencies after a rise in drug and contraband smuggling through the country’s borders, especially KLIA and Subang Airport.
Anwar told the House that the government viewed the matter as a serious national security problem. He said the issue involved several ministries, including the Home Ministry, the Transport Ministry, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department under the Finance Ministry, and the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES), among others.
He said action had been taken since last year through a three-phase plan drawn up jointly by the Home Ministry and the Transport Ministry. From January to October 2026, there were 93 arrests linked to attempted drug smuggling involving drugs worth RM202.7 million. The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) recorded 44 seizure cases worth RM11.22 million, while 41 seizure cases worth RM42.38 million were recorded under the action plan from August to October.
According to Anwar, special inspection operations at entry points now cover 100 per cent, with K9 detector dogs deployed for drug cases. The checks covered passengers bound for destinations including Indonesia, London, Paris, Singapore, Kolkata, Tiruchirappalli, Delhi, Hong Kong, Doha and Auckland, involving 3,637 flights, 19,721 flight crew members, 438,000 passenger pat-downs and about 599,700 pieces of baggage. “And in that investigation, prohibited items were indeed identified,” he said.
He said new measures coordinated with Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) and the Transport Ministry included CCTV with artificial intelligence (AI) analytics, K9 units from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department in baggage sorting areas, and a National Immigration Command Centre operating in real time across enforcement agencies. He added that the country’s security assets and infrastructure also needed to be modernised.
Replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (PN-Kubang Pasu), who noted that airport scanners were designed to detect explosives and dangerous metal weapons rather than drugs, Anwar agreed that the existing facilities were based on old technology while smuggling methods had become more sophisticated. He said new analytics equipment had been acquired but was so far only at KLIA, and that smugglers had begun turning to other airports with international flights, such as those in Penang, Alor Setar, Kota Bharu and Ipoh.
“So we have to provide more sophisticated technology and analytics facilities. This is exactly right, because criminals also use sophisticated equipment that cannot be detected,” he said.
On efforts to strengthen AKPS, Anwar said its allocation had been raised from RM20 million in last year’s budget to RM490 million this year. He said the Public Service Department had offered positions to Customs, Immigration, Health, MAQIS and police officers willing to serve with the agency, and that most had accepted.
Anwar said Malaysia’s borders remained rather porous by sea, land and now air, and that while the law was already strict, enforcement had to be stronger. He also praised the PDRM Criminal Investigation Department for arresting 282 locals and foreigners linked to criminal groups in a two-day operation, and said he was open to suggestions from Members of Parliament on further improvements, as the drug problem was “not a light problem”.
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