TAWAU, Sept 17 — Police nabbed two women trying to smuggle syabu into Indonesia by each hiding 20 plastic bags of the drugs in their girdle, while dressed in Muslim gown and hijab last Wednesday.

Tawau police chief ACP Peter Umbuas said the two women, aged 38 and 40, from West Sulawesi, Indonesia, were arrested at Kilometre 37 of Jalan Tawau-Semporna, near here, while travelling in a vehicle, driven by a 48-year-old local man, who was also detained at 5.50am.

"Police stopped a Perodua Viva car, and after an inspection, found the two female suspects carrying 2.16 kilogrammes of syabu estimated to be worth RM72,720.

"The drugs were hidden in their girdles in four packages, each containing 10 plastic bags of syabu,” he told a press conference, here. today.

Peter said only the male driver tested positive for drugs. All the suspects have no criminal records.

Investigations are still underway under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, with all three of them remanded for seven days until September 22.

Meanwhile, with regard to the seizure of 303.15 kg of syabu, worth more than RM10 million, and the arrest of a man in Kampung Batu Payung here on September 6, Peter said police detained three more local men to assist in the investigations.

He said the suspects, aged between 40 and 50, were arrested between September 7 and 10 in Tawau and Kunak and the police have also confiscated two vehicles.

He added that the case was still under investigation and it was too early to say if it had any link to an international drug syndicate. — Bernama