KUALA LUMPUR - A Japanese woman will appear in a Malaysian court this week to be charged with drug trafficking, and faces the death penalty if convicted, a senior customs official said Sunday.

"She will be charged in court either Monday or Tuesday with drug trafficking under the Dangerous Drug Act. If she is found guilty, she faces the mandatory death sentence," customs deputy director Mohamad Subri Awang told AFP.

The 30-year-old woman was detained at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on October 30 over possession of 4.7 kilograms (10 pounds) of methamphetamines, known as "syabu" in the region.

The drug, with a street value of 1.2 million ringgit (S$490,000), was allegedly found in a special compartment in her luggage after she arrived from Dubai.

Mohamad said it was the first time the customs department had arrested a Japanese national for a drug offence.

The death penalty is carried out by hanging in Malaysia.