Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesian Navy personnel have intercepted a smuggling attempt of nearly two tons of narcotics aboard a Thai-flagged fishing vessel in the Durian Strait, near Tanjung Balai Karimun in the Riau Islands province.
According to a release from the Indonesian Armed Forces Information Center (Puspen TNI), the drugs were packed in dozens of sacks discovered onboard the vessel.
The seizure, announced Friday (May 16) by Rear Admiral Fauzi, Commander of the Navy’s First Fleet Command (Koarmada I), involved approximately 1,905 kilograms of drugs, comprising 1,200 kilograms of cocaine and 705 kilograms of methamphetamine.
“In total, we seized around 1.9 tons of narcotics in the waters of the Durian Strait, Riau Islands,” Admiral Fauzi said at a press conference at the Batam Naval Base (Lantamal IV). “If converted to money, this amounts to roughly Rp7 trillion (around $440 million).”
The bust followed an early morning patrol on May 13, prompted by intelligence reports. Patrol units spotted the suspicious foreign fishing vessel Aungtoetoe 99, flying the Thai flag.
The Thai-flagged vessel was detected sailing without identification lights and at relatively high speed. The ship’s captain also ignored repeated orders from the Indonesian Navy patrol team to stop, prompting a chase before the vessel was eventually intercepted.
“What raised suspicion was that the vessel had no fish and no fishing gear on board,” Fauzi said. “This led naval personnel from the Tanjung Balai Karimun post to conduct a thorough inspection, which resulted in the discovery of the narcotics.”
Authorities believe the ship was being used as a front for transnational drug trafficking, disguised as a fishing operation.
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Five crew members were detained with one Thai national and four Myanmar nationals. However, none of them possessed valid travel documents or maritime permits.
According to Fauzi, the crew claimed they were paid the equivalent of around Rp14 million (approximately $870) to transport the illicit cargo.
“The investigation is still in its early stages,” he said. “We’ve only asked a few basic questions so far, and that’s the figure they mentioned.”
Admiral Fauzi said that preliminary investigations have not found any indication of involvement by Indonesian nationals in the narcotics smuggling attempt. While the role of the five foreign crew members is still under investigation.
The vessel and its crew are currently being held at the Tanjung Balai Karimun Naval Base for further questioning. Indonesian authorities are coordinating with other agencies, including the Riau Islands Police, the Attorney General’s Office, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), and the Customs Office, to pursue a thorough investigation on the narcotics smuggling case.
(Raidi/Agung)
