Indonesia Seizes 1.16 Tons of Ketamine Aboard Tanker Off Sumatra
Cubierto por 3 fuentesPublicado
- Baird MaritimeIndonesia intercepts tanker from Malaysia carrying illegal drugs worth nearly $200m
- Portal PortuarioAutoridades de Indonesia incautan 1,16 toneladas de ketamina a bordo de buque en Sumatra Septentrional
- Marine insightIndonesia Intercepts Mongolian-Flagged Tanker Carrying 1.16 Tonnes Of Ketamine
A joint operation by Indonesia's National Police and Customs Service intercepted a Mongolian-flagged tanker this week carrying 1.16 tons of ketamine. The vessel, identified as the MT Global 168, was boarded in waters off Tanjung Balai, in North Sumatra province, after departing from Malaysia.
Seizure details
National Police Chief Suyudi Ario Seto reported that the drugs were found distributed across 58 sacks and estimated their black market value at 3.48 trillion rupiah. Baird Maritime put that figure at around $192.64 million, while Marine Insight placed it at approximately $192 million. The operation resulted in the arrest of seven Indonesian nationals and one Taiwanese national, including the captain, engineers and an oiler aboard the vessel.
Suspicious route and AIS anomalies
According to the sources, the tanker had departed from the port of Pasir Gudang, in Johor, Malaysia, and sailed through the Strait of Malacca into the Andaman Sea, where authorities suspect a ship-to-ship transfer took place to receive the cargo. Seto noted that anomalies had been detected in the vessel's Automatic Identification System (AIS) prior to the interception, which prompted its tracking.
A second operation in Aceh
Marine Insight reported that Indonesian intelligence began tracking the vessel in August after receiving information about possible suspicious activity, and that the ship belonged to a company based in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Following the interception, the tanker was escorted to the port of Belawan, in North Sumatra, for inspection. The same outlet noted conflicting accounts of the vessel's route, as another report indicated it had sailed from Thailand across the Andaman Sea before being stopped.
In a parallel operation, Indonesian authorities raided a clandestine laboratory in Aceh province, where they found 1.2 tons of liquid methamphetamine. Marine Insight detailed that the operation took place in the Pidie regency, in the locality of Beureueh Dua, and that 11 people were arrested, nine Indonesians and two Chinese nationals, while investigators look into possible links to networks connected to China, Malaysia and the so-called Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia. Portal Portuario noted that Indonesia maintains a zero-tolerance policy on drug trafficking, with severe penalties including the death penalty.
