An aerial view of islands in Anambas regency. - JP
JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): A resident of Anambas regency in Riau Islands found 1.5kg of cocaine on a beach in Kuala Maras village late last month. Local police suspect the contraband was part of a consignment smuggled from abroad.
Riau Islands Police chief Insp. Gen. Tabana Bangun said on Monday (May 15) that the drugs were found on April 30 on Anambas Island and were reported to local authorities.
“Laboratory tests confirmed the drug to be cocaine,” Tabana said.
Several packages of cocaine had been found on Anambas previously. In December, a total of 8kg of cocaine were found in eight packages.
“We are still investigating whether this latest finding is connected to the previous ones,” the police chief said.
Anambas is located near Natuna, which sits in the outermost region in the country’s north and is very close to the hotly contested South China Sea, a major flashpoint in South-East Asia.
Tabana said that due to Anambas’ location, it was within a strategic area for drug smugglers. Islands in the province, especially those without close monitoring by authorities could be used by drug smugglers, he said.
