Laos police seized 521kg of crystal meth from a private jet that was headed for Manila, Malaysian police said.
A Singaporean pilot and a Filipino passenger are among 13 people detained at Luang Prabang International Airport on 1 October 2026, VnExpress International reported.
The drugs were packed into 500 packages inside 21 of 23 suitcases loaded onto the plane.
Empty jet, full suitcases
The jet, a US-registered Learjet 55B, flew in from Subang airport near Kuala Lumpur with no cargo, according to Malaysian police.
It landed in Luang Prabang at about 11.30am. Two vehicles arrived two hours later, and airport workers moved 23 bags onto trolleys for the plane.
Lao police inspected the bags and found the meth. They had received a tip-off about the smuggling plan on 21 September.
Who was detained
Besides the pilot and the Filipino passenger, those held include three Lao ground handlers and seven Lao X-ray scanner operators, VnExpress reported.
One Malaysian is also among the 13. VnExpress described him as the co-pilot, but Malaysian police said the detained Malaysian did not travel on the flight from Malaysia.
Reports so far have not named any of the 13.
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Bound for Manila
Malaysian police said the drugs came from Laos and were meant for the Philippines.
"The drugs seized were meant for the Manila market in the Philippines and not the Malaysian market," said Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, director of Bukit Aman's Narcotics Crime Investigation Department.
Malaysia is sending narcotics officers to Laos to question the suspects and look for links to Malaysian syndicates.
The plane's registered owner is a trustee company in Utah, VnExpress reported.
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Bags from strangers
Many kababayans fly home through regional airports with padala and pasalubong for others.
Never carry a bag, box or package you did not pack yourself, however small the favour. In this case, the airport workers who handled the suitcases are among those detained.
If someone pressures you to carry something, report it to the Singapore Police Force at 1800 255 0000.
