Paid $2,510 via Telegram to smuggle cocaine in their shoes: 5 Malaysians arrested in Tokyo

Five Malaysians were arrested after they allegedly attempted to smuggle around 120 million yen (S$971,000) worth of cocaine into Japan in their shoes, Japan police said on Tuesday (Oct 13).

The two men and three women allegedly concealed about 500g of cocaine beneath the insole of each shoe before flying from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo's Haneda Airport, NHK reported.

Customs officers became suspicious after noticing one suspect's unusually thick-soled shoes during an inspection on arrival. Bags of cocaine were allegedly found hidden inside the footwear, leading to the arrests.

While four of the suspects reportedly admitted to the allegations, a 25-year-old woman claimed she was unaware that the shoes contained cocaine.

One of the suspects, Mohd Danial Far Han bin Abdul Rahman, 24, reportedly told investigators he was recruited via Telegram to carry drugs overseas. 

He said he was paid RM8,000 (S$2,510) and given a pair of specially prepared shoes for the job, NHK reported. 

Malaysian Federal Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Hussein Omar Khan shared that an investigation team will be sent to Japan to assist in investigations alongside Tokyo police as they determine possible links to Malaysian and international drug-smuggling syndicates, NST reported.

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