Indonesian authorities have seized about 2.6 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine from a ship intercepted off Sumatra, detaining 10 Myanmar nationals in what officials described as one of the country's largest drug busts this year. The operation was carried out Monday by a joint task force of Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency, customs officials and Riau Islands police, according to Roy Hardi Siahaan, the agency's director of enforcement.
The Interception
Siahaan said the vessel, identified as the Tanzania-flagged MV Ocean Porter, was intercepted in waters off Tanjung Parit in Bengkalis regency, Riau province, after authorities received intelligence about a vessel allegedly transporting narcotics from Malaysia's Sarawak state toward Indonesian waters. The ship was towed to a customs operations base on Batam island, next to Singapore, for inspection.
Investigators believe the vessel previously operated as the MV Rain Maker, altering its identity to evade detection. The inspection found approximately 2.6 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine hidden inside eight drums and the vessel's water tanks. In a separate account, the National Narcotics Agency said in a statement late Tuesday that it had received intelligence about a vessel sailing from Sarawak through the Andaman Sea, and that the agency, in a joint operation with customs officials, intercepted the MV Rain Maker – sailing under a fake name – late on Monday near Bengkalis. Sniffer dogs also found more than 1.5 million illegal cigarettes on board, according to that statement.
At a Batam port news conference, authorities paraded the 10 crew members, all Myanmar nationals, in restraints. Siahaan said: "The crew and evidence remain under intensive investigation as authorities work to identify and dismantle the international trafficking network behind the shipment."
Context of Regional Operations
Monday's seizure came less than two weeks after authorities intercepted the MV King Sun off Bintan island and confiscated 1.3 tons of ketamine. Eight crew members, including seven Myanmar nationals and a Taiwanese citizen, were detained in that operation, which followed a three-month multinational intelligence investigation involving Thai authorities.
Siahaan warned that Indonesia's vast coastline and proximity to major regional shipping routes make its maritime borders vulnerable to transnational drug smuggling. He added that military and law enforcement agencies would continue joint operations to disrupt international trafficking networks operating in Southeast Asian waters.
Indonesia's Drug Enforcement Landscape
Indonesia is a major hub for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia despite having strict drug laws, with convicted smugglers sometimes executed by firing squad. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime identifies Indonesia as a major drug-smuggling hub, driven in part by international syndicates targeting its vast young population.
Last year, Indonesian authorities arrested 285 people suspected of drug trafficking, including 29 women and seven foreigners, and seized over half a ton of narcotics during a two-month crackdown. According to data from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, about 530 people, including 90 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes. Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.