KOTA KINABALU, Dec 26 — A 38-year-old local man tried to claim that some RM1 million worth of syabu couriered here were "Christmas gifts” when he was caught by Customs enforcers.

The approximately 28kg haul was hidden in Chinese tea packets that were packed in boxes meant for disposable baby diapers sent from Kuala Lumpur to here.

"Customs officers detained the suspect when he went to retrieve the drugs, at a courier company here at 6.50pm last Friday,” said Sabah Customs deputy director Datuk Madrim Tasan.

"When questioned, he claimed the boxes were gifts for Christmas,” he said during a press conference here today.

The department was alerted to a possible drug shipment coming in to the state and arranged to await its collection by the intended recipient at the courier firm’s office.

The suspect has been remanded for further investigations until January 4.

This is the second biggest drug seizure here this year after another in Sandakan in February involving some 103kg of drugs.

"In total, Sabah Customs handled 13 cases of drugs this year, involving some RM9.2 million worth of drugs,” he said.