Indonesia seizes 2.6 tonnes of liquid meth hidden aboard cargo vessel
Indonesian authorities intercepted a Tanzanian-flagged ship near Riau province carrying 2.6 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine, arresting 10 Myanmar crew members.
Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency has reported one of the country's largest-ever drug seizures after intercepting a Tanzanian-flagged vessel carrying 2.6 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine.
Acting on intelligence that a ship sailing from Sarawak, Malaysia, through the Andaman Sea might be transporting narcotics into Indonesia, the agency, working with customs officials, stopped the vessel late on Monday near Bengkalis in Riau province. The ship, which was sailing under a false name, was identified as the MV Rain Maker.
Agency official Roy Hardi Siahaan said inspectors found 2.6 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine concealed in eight water barrels and a water tank. Sniffer dogs also discovered more than 1.5 million illegal cigarettes hidden on board.
All 10 crew members arrested were Myanmar nationals.
The seizure follows last year's record bust, when authorities recovered two tonnes of crystal methamphetamine from a fishing boat travelling from the Andaman Sea to Batam Island.
Monday's operation marked the second interception of a Tanzanian-flagged vessel in the area this month. On 8 August, Indonesian authorities seized 1.3 tonnes of ketamine from a ship near the Riau Islands close to Singapore, arresting eight crew members — seven from Myanmar and one from Taiwan.
Indonesia enforces some of the world's harshest anti-narcotics laws, including the death penalty for traffickers, though it has kept a moratorium on executions in place for several years.
