<p>KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 3,322 Malaysians had been detained abroad for various offences as of September, including 1,588 for drug-related offences, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Key takeaways
Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni stated that 3,322 Malaysians were detained abroad as of September, with 1,588 facing drug-related charges. He attributed the rise in arrests to weaknesses at entry and exit points, particularly airports.
- Indonesia recorded the highest number of detained Malaysians with 381 cases, followed by China with 380.
- Drug-related detentions increased from 1,181 in 2024 to 1,303 in 2025, with 285 additional cases this year.
- Officials noted that drug trafficking methods are becoming more complex, utilizing ports and illegal border routes.
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KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 3,322 Malaysians had been detained abroad for various offences as of September, including 1,588 for drug-related offences, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the number of Malaysians detained abroad for drug offences had risen over the past three years.
"We acknowledge that arrests, and the data too, show almost 1,500 arrests of Malaysians in 40 countries abroad, which points to leakages or weaknesses at our entry and exit points, especially airports," he said.
He was replying to Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodi (GPS-Sri Aman), who asked for the number of Malaysians detained or charged with drug offences abroad over the past five years, the countries with the highest number of cases, and the effectiveness of airport scanning technology.
