JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities have seized 2.6 tons of liquid methamphetamine from a Tanzanian-flagged vessel in one of the country’s largest recent narcotics busts, arresting 10 crew members in an operation that authorities say was triggered by intelligence about a suspected drug shipment from Malaysia.
The joint operation involving Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Customs authorities and the Riau Islands Regional Police intercepted the vessel on Aug. 17 after receiving information that narcotics were allegedly being transported from Sarawak, Malaysia, toward Indonesian waters.
The vessel was taken to a customs facility in the Riau Islands for a more extensive inspection. Using sniffer dogs, scanners and drug-testing equipment, authorities discovered suspected liquid methamphetamine concealed in eight drums and the ship’s water tank.
Officials said the combined haul weighed approximately 2.6 tons, making the seizure a major blow to an international trafficking operation.
All 10 crew members detained were Myanmar nationals, while Indonesian authorities continued questioning the crew and examining the vessel as investigators worked to determine the wider network behind the shipment.
The ship was also carrying a substantial quantity of untaxed cigarettes. ANTARA reported that Customs officers found a 40-foot container containing 157 master cases of cigarettes, allegedly without Indonesian excise stamps.
A Growing Regional Drug-Trafficking Concern
The latest seizure comes as Southeast Asian authorities continue to confront increasingly large flows of synthetic drugs across maritime routes.
Indonesia recorded another landmark methamphetamine seizure in May 2025, when authorities confiscated about two tons of crystal methamphetamine from a fishing vessel off Sumatra. Reuters reported at the time that investigators linked that shipment to a syndicate operating in the Golden Triangle, the drug-production region encompassing parts of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.
The region remains a major source and transit zone for synthetic drugs. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has documented the continuing expansion of synthetic-drug trafficking across East and Southeast Asia, with methamphetamine remaining one of the region’s dominant illicit drugs.
The timing of the latest operation is also notable. Indonesian authorities earlier this month seized nearly 1.3 tons of ketamine from another Tanzanian-flagged vessel in waters around the Riau Islands, with eight crew members arrested.
That series of maritime interceptions is putting renewed attention on shipping routes around the Riau Islands, an area strategically located near major regional trade corridors and close to Singapore and Malaysia.
Indonesia Steps Up Its Anti-Drug Campaign
Indonesia maintains some of the region’s toughest narcotics laws. Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty, although the country has maintained a moratorium on executions for several years.
For authorities, however, the latest seizure is about more than the drugs already taken off the streets.
The investigation is now focused on the people and organizations behind the shipment—who arranged the cargo, where the methamphetamine originated, and where it was ultimately supposed to go.
With 2.6 tons of liquid methamphetamine discovered aboard a single vessel, Indonesian investigators now face the bigger question:
How far does the trafficking network behind this shipment actually reach?
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