PORT KLANG, Malaysia – Malaysian customs officers have made the country's biggest drug bust so far this year, seizing nearly three million party drug pills worth 58.28 million ringgit ($18.4m), an official said Monday (July 9th), according to AFP.

Senior customs official Matrang Suhaili said five people, including a woman and her Bangladeshi husband, had been arrested and face a possible death sentence on suspicion of drug trafficking.

Initial investigations revealed that the drugs were stored in a container, which arrived at Port Klang, Malaysia's largest and busiest port, in late June from India via Hong Kong.

To avoid detection, the sedative drug known as Erimin 5, was hidden in 20 boxes along with some goods including chewing tobacco, he said. The hypnotic drug is usually prescribed for severe insomnia.

Drug trafficking carries a mandatory death penalty by hanging under Malaysia's tough anti-drug laws. Anyone found in possession of at least 50 grams of methamphetamines is considered a trafficker.

Matrang said since January to July 5th, excluding the latest arrests and seizure, 86 suspects had been detained and drugs worth $40 million seized. Fifty-one traffickers are now on death row.