Indonesian Navy personnel inspecting packages of methamphetamine at Batam Customs Port, Riau Islands, on May 26. - Antara
JAKARTA: Authorities recently foiled an attempt to smuggle two tonnes of methamphetamine into the country, marking the largest drug seizure in the nation’s history.
A joint task force from the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the National Police and the Indonesian Military seized the illicit drugs aboard a ship named Sea Dragon Tarawa in the waters off the Riau Islands last week.
The vessel was intercepted as it sailed from the Andaman Sea toward Indonesian waters in Riau Islands Province.
During the raid, authorities uncovered 67 boxes containing 2,000 packages of methamphetamine disguised as tea. The drugs were hidden in secret compartments throughout the vessel, including within its fuel tank.
The Riau Islands Police arrested all six crew members on board, comprising four Indonesian nationals and two Thai citizens.
They have been charged under Articles 112 and 114 of the 2009 Narcotics Law, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or the death sentence if convicted.
The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr Gen. Marthinus Hukom, said the raid was conducted after a five-month investigation and surveillance effort, which was launched after authorities received intelligence from international partners.
“This is the largest drug seizure in the history of narcotics enforcement in Indonesia,” Marthinus said at a press conference on Monday (May 26), as quoted by Kompas.
The BNN has linked the methamphetamine shipment to a transnational drug syndicate operating out of the Golden Triangle, the notorious region where northeastern Myanmar borders parts of Thailand and Laos.
The area has a long history of producing drugs, with trafficking networks extending as far as Japan and New Zealand.
Marthinus said the drugs were destined for Indonesia as well as other South-East Asian countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines.
The latest seizure comes after Indonesia's navy seized a ship carrying nearly two tonnes of methamphetamine and cocaine worth Rp 7 trillion (US$425 million) around the same area in the west of the archipelago earlier this month.
One Thai national and four Myanmar nationals were also detained. The eleven suspects arrested in connection with both cases were all fishermen who were allegedly recruited by drug traffickers to smuggle narcotics to various countries. They were reportedly paid Rp 25 million per trip, with bonuses of up to Rp 50 million.
Last week, authorities also foiled an attempt to smuggle 1.8 kilograms of cocaine, valued at Rp 12 billion, from the United Kingdom to Bali. The drugs were concealed in two separate packages, hidden inside dolls and stationery items, and sent via mail.
Customs officers detected the narcotics during an X-ray scan and immediately alerted the Bali Police.
Bali Police Chief Insp. Ge. Daniel Adityajaya said that a 43-year-old Australian man, identified only by his initials LAA, was arrested in connection with the case.
“He was apprehended at an apartment in North Kuta, Badung Regency, shortly after receiving the narcotics packages,” Daniel said on Monday.
LAA is believed to be part of an international drug trafficking syndicate, and police allege that he received Rp 50 million from another trafficker to sell the cocaine to foreign tourists visiting the popular holiday island.
LAA has been charged under the 2009 Narcotics Law and faces the possibility of the death penalty if found guilty. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
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