Pilot’s arrest spotlights Malaysia’s growing status as regional drug transit hub

A pilot allegedly caught with tens of thousands of Ecstasy pills in Jakarta is the most high-profile case in a recent string of arrests that police and criminologists say points to a growing problem: transnational syndicates are using Malaysia to move drugs and recruit couriers.
The case was followed within days by other arrests involving Malaysians in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, suggesting a pattern of criminal organisations exploiting the country’s transport links, porous borders and...