Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — The Indonesian National Police Narcotics Crime Directorate (Dittipidnarkoba) has successfully apprehended a major drug kingpin who was on the international Red Notice wanted list. The suspect is believed to be the mastermind behind an international narcotics syndicate that operated a drug lab inside a villa in Bali.
The suspect was Roman Nazarenco, a Ukrainian national, was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, in a joint operation involving Indonesian and Thai authorities.
The arrest was confirmed by Brigadier General Mukti Juharsa, Director of the Narcotics Crime Directorate, on Sunday, December 22, 2024. “Yes, we have successfully apprehended a major drug kingpin,” Mukti told reporters, as raported by Detik.
According to CNN Indoneisa, Nazarenco is believed to be the mastermind behind an illegal drug lab discovered in a villa in Badung, Bali. The lab was used for the production of mephedrone and hydroponic cannabis. According to Mukti, Nazarenco was the primary financier and orchestrator, overseeing operations and managing drug couriers.
“The suspect was the owner of the operation, responsible for constructing the villa’s basement [into drug lab], financing the operation, and overseeing the couriers who had been previously apprehended,” Mukti said during a press conference at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang on Sunday, December 22.
The arrest was aresult of joint operation involving the Indonesian National Police’s International Relations Division (Divhubinter) and the Royal Thai Police. Nazarenco’s whereabouts were discovered by Thai authorities, who subsequently informed Interpol Indonesia, which had issued the Red Notice.
Nazarenco was apprehended by Thai authorities at U-Tapao Rayong Airport while attempting to board a flight to Dubai after evading capture and hide in Thailand for 109 days since May 2024.
Following the arrest, Indonesian police coordinated with Thai authorities to extradite Nazarenco to Jakarta. He was escorted from Bangkok to Indonesia by officers from Divhubinter and Dittipidnarkoba and is now in custody at the Indonesian National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta.
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The arrest follows an earlier raid on the clandestine drug lab in Badung, Bali, where authorities arrested three foreign nationals in May 2024. The villa, rented for 24 years, had been converted into a high-capacity drug production facility linked to the Hydra network.
Indonesian authorities have vowed to continue cracking down on transnational drug syndicates operating within the country. The recent arrest of the Ukrainian drug kingpin in Thailand reflects the National Police’s commitment to supporting President Prabowo Subianto’s Asta Cita program in eradicating illegal drug trafficking in Indonesia.
(Raidi/Agung)
