KOTA KINABALU: A woman’s attempt to smuggle methamphetamine packaged as "Chinese tea" into Indonesia led to her arrest there last week.
The 37-year-old woman, travelling with her 13-year-old niece, was intercepted at the Sei Pancang post in Nunukan en route to Tarakan on a speedboat from Sebatik Island, located off Sabah’s east coast, on Friday (Nov 1).
Her identity and citizenship were undisclosed.
A joint team from the Indonesian Navy’s Second Fleet Quick Response (SFQR) Unit in Lanal Nunukan and Nunukan Customs foiled the smuggling attempt during a routine inspection of the Bunyu Express speedboat, uncovering 1kg of methamphetamine.
Indonesian naval authorities said the arrest was the result of a tip-off shared among Nunukan police, Customs, and the joint task force.
The tip indicated that methamphetamine was being transported to Indonesia’s Tarakan from Sebatik.
“Upon receiving this intelligence, we established blockades to inspect vessels entering and leaving the Sei Pancang area,” a naval officer told a press conference on Saturday (Nov 2), according to Indonesian news portal Radar Tarakan.
During the operation, the team focused on the Bunyu Ekspres and found the methamphetamine concealed in Chinese tea packaging.
The woman has been taken to the Mako Lanal Nunukan base for questioning.
According to the portal, initial investigations found that she was to bring the package to a contact in Tarakan for payment upon delivery.
The case has been handed over to the Nunukan Police Narcotics Unit for further action, it added.
