Indonesia Intercepts Mongolian-Flagged Tanker Carrying 1.16 Tonnes Of Ketamine

Indonesian authorities have seized 1.16 tonnes of ketamine from a Mongolian-flagged tanker and another 1.2 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine from a suspected drug laboratory in two operations, police chief Suyudi Ario Seto said on Friday.

The tanker, MT Global 168, was intercepted in waters off North Sumatra earlier this week.

Police and customs officers found the ketamine in 58 sacks and valued the shipment at 3.48 trillion rupiah, or about $192 million, Seto said.

Eight crew members were arrested, while a separate raid on a laboratory in Aceh province led to the arrest of 11 people. Investigators are examining possible links to international drug trafficking networks operating across Southeast Asia.

Indonesian intelligence officers began tracking the tanker in August after receiving information that it might be involved in suspicious activity, Seto told reporters in Medan.

Authorities also detected irregularities in the vessel’s Automatic Identification System (AIS), which transmits a ship’s identity and movement information.

The tanker flew the Mongolian flag but was owned by a company based in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Seto said.

Police and customs officers intercepted the vessel earlier this week and escorted it to Belawan Port in North Sumatra for inspection. Reports said the ship had been travelling through the Andaman Sea and the Malacca Strait.

According to one account, the tanker had departed from Pasir Gudang in Malaysia and was heading towards the Andaman Sea, where investigators suspect a ship-to-ship transfer took place. Another account said it had been sailing from Thailand through the Andaman Sea before it was intercepted.

Authorities arrested seven Indonesian nationals and one Taiwanese national. Those detained included the captain, engineers and an oiler.

Police have not provided further details about the suspected transfer or identified the people believed to have organised the shipment.

In a separate operation, police raided a clandestine laboratory in Pidie regency, Aceh province, on Wednesday.

Officers seized about 1.2 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine and arrested 11 suspects, including nine Indonesians and two Chinese nationals, Seto said.

The laboratory was operating from two adjoining shophouses in Beureueh Dua village.

Investigators believe the facility was linked to an international drug trafficking network. They are examining possible connections to syndicates in China, Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as criminal groups in Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle, a region associated with large-scale drug production and trafficking.

Police are tracing the sources of the materials used in the laboratory, the routes used to move the drugs and the financial networks behind both cases. They are also working to identify those who organised the operations.

Seto said the amount of drugs seized showed the threat that international syndicates posed to Indonesia’s national security.

Just over two months ago, authorities intercepted a ship near the Riau Islands carrying 1.3 tonnes of ketamine from Thailand, according to one report.

In a separate case around the same period, Indonesian authorities seized about 2.6 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine from a ship intercepted off Batam island, near Singapore. Ten Myanmar nationals were detained on suspicion of involvement in an international trafficking network.

References: Reuters, abcnews