Indonesia seizes 2.6 tonnes of liquid meth in major maritime bust

Indonesian authorities have intercepted a vessel off the coast of Sumatra and seized approximately 2.6 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine, in what officials describe as one of the country's largest drug busts this year. Ten crew members, all Myanmar nationals, have been detained in connection with the operation.

The vessel, a Tanzania-flagged ship named MV Ocean Porter, was stopped on Monday by a joint task force comprising the National Narcotics Agency, customs officials, and Riau Islands police. The operation was launched following intelligence reports that a ship was transporting narcotics from Malaysia's Sarawak state toward Indonesian waters.

Roy Hardi Siahaan, the National Narcotics Agency's director of enforcement, said the ship was intercepted in waters off Tanjung Parit in Bengkalis regency, Riau province. It was then towed to a customs operations base on Batam island, near Singapore, for a thorough inspection. Investigators believe the vessel previously operated under the name MV Rain Maker and had its identity altered to evade detection.

The liquid methamphetamine was discovered concealed inside eight drums and within the vessel's water tanks. At a press conference in Batam, authorities paraded the detained crew members in restraints. Siahaan stated that the crew and evidence remain under intensive investigation as authorities work to identify and dismantle the international trafficking network behind the shipment.

This seizure comes less than two weeks after another significant maritime interception. Authorities stopped the MV King Sun off Bintan island and confiscated 1.3 tonnes 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 noted 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.

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 and seized over half a ton of narcotics during a two-month crackdown.

Indonesia maintains strict drug laws, with convicted smugglers sometimes facing execution by firing squad. According to the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, about 530 people, including 90 foreigners, are currently on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes. The country's last executions were carried out in July 2016.