BATAM, Indonesia (AFP): Indonesian authorities seized two tonnes of crystal methamphetamine hidden on a fishing boat and arrested six people in the country's biggest-ever drug bust, a senior narcotics official said Monday.
The National Narcotics Agency, or BNN, said Thai authorities had notified them that the Indonesian-flagged vessel, sailing from the Andaman Sea to Batam Island, could be carrying a huge haul of narcotics.
Indonesian authorities intercepted the boat in waters off the Riau islands last Tuesday, and found 2,000 packages of crystal meth stuffed into cardboard boxes hidden within the ship.
"The result of the search is two tonnes of crystal methamphetamine," BNN chief Marthinus Hukom told a press conference. "This is the biggest haul in Indonesia's narcotics bust history."
Marthinus estimated the drugs to be worth nearly $308,000,000.
Indonesian authorities investigated the case over the last five months, working closely with Thai authorities.
The illicit drugs were produced in the "Golden Triangle" region where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, and were smuggled by an organised crime group working with Indonesian traffickers, Marthinus said.
Six people onboard the fishing boat were arrested, including four Indonesians and two Thai nationals.
The crew told authorities they were fishermen recruited by the drugs syndicate which promised to pay them 50,000 Thai Baht ($1,500) and a $3,000 bonus.
Marthinus said a fugitive from Thailand was behind the operation and that Indonesia would issue a red notice for the trafficker.
Monday's drug bust was the second major drug seizure this month. Indonesian authorities previously seized 1.2 tonnes of crystal meth and more than 700 kilograms of cocaine inside a Thailand-flagged fishing boat near the Riau islands.
Indonesia has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws, including capital punishment for some trafficking cases. - AFP
