Dozens of Iranian travellers have been held by Malaysian authorities in recent months, after allegedly being caught red-handed with illegal narcotics.
Six Iranians have been arrested this week alone for allegedly possessing methamphetamines, having arrived on four separate flights to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
"Those detained came from Tehran and made transit stops in Bahrain and Dubai," said Selangor state police narcotics department head Nordin Kadir.
The suspects, who face death by hanging if convicted of drug trafficking, are probably catering to a rising demand for methamphetamines among Malaysian drug users, Mr Kadir added.
One of the men arrested this week reportedly had sewn eight packets of drugs into his jacket, but none of the suspects has yet been officially charged.
So far this year, 41 Iranians have been held for allegedly smuggling nearly 90kg of methamphetamines – worth up to $ 6.5 million (BD2.45m) – into Malaysia.
This compares to only 24 Iranians detained for similar offences in the whole of last year.
Malaysian police have deployed more officers at KLIA in an attempt to stamp out the problem.
