Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian police have foiled a major drug trafficking operation spanning two provinces, seizing over 86 kilograms of methamphetamine and thousands of ecstasy pills while arresting six suspects, officials announced Tuesday.
The Director of Narcotics Crime at the Indonesian National Police Criminal Investigation Department, Brig. Gen. Eko Hadi Santoso, confirmed that six suspects – identified by their initials I, AR, SHW, TM, YNS, and M – have been detained, while two ringleaders remain at large.
“Investigators have named six suspects, while two individuals known as Punay and Bos Aeng have been placed on the wanted list,” Santoso said in Jakarta.
The bust originated from a citizen tip-off regarding drug smuggling in the Pekaitan district of Riau province.
Officers monitored suspect I as he loaded four cardboard boxes packed with narcotics onto a boat, with the suspect later admitting he was instructed by AR to transport the cargo along the Rokan River.
Police intercepted AR, SHW, and TM along the riverbank alongside a getaway vehicle prepared to haul the shipment to Palembang in South Sumatra.
Setting a trap, investigators allowed a controlled delivery to proceed to a hotel parking lot in Palembang, where the vehicle was left locked with keys hidden in the exhaust pipe as instructed by the syndicate.
Authorities arrested suspect YNS as he arrived to pick up the vehicle, who revealed he was acting on orders from “Bos Aeng,” a contact he met while previously incarcerated.
In total, officers confiscated 86.3 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 5,171 pink ecstasy pills, with all suspects transported to Jakarta as the investigation continues to hunt down the remaining kingpins.
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Translator: Nadia Putri Rahmani, Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Editor: Primayanti
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