A 19-year-old Malaysian man was arrested in Macau on Thursday, 25 September 2025.[1][2] During flight screening, Judiciary Police identified a suspicious passenger travelling from Thailand to Macau via South Korea.[3] Officers suspected a passenger on the South Korea-to-Macau flight after assessing intelligence and intercepted him as he collected his luggage after the flight landed at 2 p.m.[4] They found 16 foil-wrapped packages of cannabis in his suitcase at Macau International Airport.[1] Forensic examination confirmed the packages contained cannabis flowers and weighed approximately 8,986.5 grams including packaging.[3] Judiciary Police valued the seizure at around MOP 9 million.[3][2]

Police said a Malaysian drug-trafficking syndicate recruited him and that he received the suitcase in Bangkok before flying via South Korea to Macau.[3][2] He planned to carry the cannabis onward to Hong Kong and was promised RM5,000 if he succeeded.[3][2] He told police he worked as a maintenance worker and admitted he had been hired to carry out the task.[5]

Police were investigating the cannabis’s origin and trying to identify others involved.[1] Judiciary Police transferred him to the Public Prosecutions Office for illegal trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances.[3] SAYS said he was handed to the Public Prosecutions Office for further questioning on a drug-trafficking charge.[1]

Judiciary Police spokesman Ho Wai Lok briefed reporters about the case at the airport the night before the story appeared.[2]