Tonnes of meth seized in Indonesia's biggest drug haul
Indonesian authorities have seized about two tonnes of methamphetamine off Sumatra island in the biggest seizure of drugs in the country's history, its narcotics agency says.
The agency linked the drugs to a syndicate in the Golden Triangle - an area where northeastern Myanmar meets parts of Thailand and Laos, which has a long history of producing drugs for distribution as far as Japan and New Zealand.
Marthinus Hukom, chief of Indonesia's narcotics agency, told reporters on Monday that after five months of surveillance authorities last week sent ships to stop a vessel called Sea Dragon Tarawa and discovered the methamphetamine in boxes.
Hukom said the drugs were thought to have come from a syndicate in the Golden Triangle and were destined for Indonesia as well as other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines.
Four Indonesians and two Thai nationals were apprehended on the ship, he said.
"This seizure is the biggest drug discovery in the history of drug eradication in Indonesia," he said.
The latest seizure comes after Indonesia's navy seized a ship carrying nearly two tonnes of methamphetamine and cocaine worth $US425 million ($A650 million) around the same area in the west of the archipelago earlier in May. One Thai national and four Myanmar nationals were also detained.
A record 190 tonnes of methamphetamine was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2023 as organised crime groups exploited weak law enforcement to traffic drugs, mainly via the Gulf of Thailand, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in a 2024 report.
The announcement of the drug seizure comes as Indonesian authorities separately reveal an Australian man has been arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine on the tourist island of Bali.
Bali Police Chief Daniel Adityajaya said the 43-year-old was arrested May 22 after police raided his rented house near the popular tourist spot Kuta beach, allegedly with 1.7kg of cocaine.
Indonesia has some of the world's strictest anti-narcotics laws and drug trafficking is punishable by death.
with AP
Indonesian authorities have seized about two tonnes of methamphetamine off Sumatra island in the biggest seizure of drugs in the country's history, its narcotics agency says.
The agency linked the drugs to a syndicate in the Golden Triangle - an area where northeastern Myanmar meets parts of Thailand and Laos, which has a long history of producing drugs for distribution as far as Japan and New Zealand.
Marthinus Hukom, chief of Indonesia's narcotics agency, told reporters on Monday that after five months of surveillance authorities last week sent ships to stop a vessel called Sea Dragon Tarawa and discovered the methamphetamine in boxes.
Hukom said the drugs were thought to have come from a syndicate in the Golden Triangle and were destined for Indonesia as well as other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines.
Four Indonesians and two Thai nationals were apprehended on the ship, he said.
"This seizure is the biggest drug discovery in the history of drug eradication in Indonesia," he said.
The latest seizure comes after Indonesia's navy seized a ship carrying nearly two tonnes of methamphetamine and cocaine worth $US425 million ($A650 million) around the same area in the west of the archipelago earlier in May. One Thai national and four Myanmar nationals were also detained.
A record 190 tonnes of methamphetamine was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2023 as organised crime groups exploited weak law enforcement to traffic drugs, mainly via the Gulf of Thailand, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in a 2024 report.
The announcement of the drug seizure comes as Indonesian authorities separately reveal an Australian man has been arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine on the tourist island of Bali.
Bali Police Chief Daniel Adityajaya said the 43-year-old was arrested May 22 after police raided his rented house near the popular tourist spot Kuta beach, allegedly with 1.7kg of cocaine.
Indonesia has some of the world's strictest anti-narcotics laws and drug trafficking is punishable by death.
with AP
Indonesian authorities have seized about two tonnes of methamphetamine off Sumatra island in the biggest seizure of drugs in the country's history, its narcotics agency says.
The agency linked the drugs to a syndicate in the Golden Triangle - an area where northeastern Myanmar meets parts of Thailand and Laos, which has a long history of producing drugs for distribution as far as Japan and New Zealand.
Marthinus Hukom, chief of Indonesia's narcotics agency, told reporters on Monday that after five months of surveillance authorities last week sent ships to stop a vessel called Sea Dragon Tarawa and discovered the methamphetamine in boxes.
Hukom said the drugs were thought to have come from a syndicate in the Golden Triangle and were destined for Indonesia as well as other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines.
Four Indonesians and two Thai nationals were apprehended on the ship, he said.
"This seizure is the biggest drug discovery in the history of drug eradication in Indonesia," he said.
The latest seizure comes after Indonesia's navy seized a ship carrying nearly two tonnes of methamphetamine and cocaine worth $US425 million ($A650 million) around the same area in the west of the archipelago earlier in May. One Thai national and four Myanmar nationals were also detained.
A record 190 tonnes of methamphetamine was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2023 as organised crime groups exploited weak law enforcement to traffic drugs, mainly via the Gulf of Thailand, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in a 2024 report.
The announcement of the drug seizure comes as Indonesian authorities separately reveal an Australian man has been arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine on the tourist island of Bali.
Bali Police Chief Daniel Adityajaya said the 43-year-old was arrested May 22 after police raided his rented house near the popular tourist spot Kuta beach, allegedly with 1.7kg of cocaine.
Indonesia has some of the world's strictest anti-narcotics laws and drug trafficking is punishable by death.
with AP
Indonesian authorities have seized about two tonnes of methamphetamine off Sumatra island in the biggest seizure of drugs in the country's history, its narcotics agency says.
The agency linked the drugs to a syndicate in the Golden Triangle - an area where northeastern Myanmar meets parts of Thailand and Laos, which has a long history of producing drugs for distribution as far as Japan and New Zealand.
Marthinus Hukom, chief of Indonesia's narcotics agency, told reporters on Monday that after five months of surveillance authorities last week sent ships to stop a vessel called Sea Dragon Tarawa and discovered the methamphetamine in boxes.
Hukom said the drugs were thought to have come from a syndicate in the Golden Triangle and were destined for Indonesia as well as other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines.
Four Indonesians and two Thai nationals were apprehended on the ship, he said.
"This seizure is the biggest drug discovery in the history of drug eradication in Indonesia," he said.
The latest seizure comes after Indonesia's navy seized a ship carrying nearly two tonnes of methamphetamine and cocaine worth $US425 million ($A650 million) around the same area in the west of the archipelago earlier in May. One Thai national and four Myanmar nationals were also detained.
A record 190 tonnes of methamphetamine was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2023 as organised crime groups exploited weak law enforcement to traffic drugs, mainly via the Gulf of Thailand, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in a 2024 report.
The announcement of the drug seizure comes as Indonesian authorities separately reveal an Australian man has been arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine on the tourist island of Bali.
Bali Police Chief Daniel Adityajaya said the 43-year-old was arrested May 22 after police raided his rented house near the popular tourist spot Kuta beach, allegedly with 1.7kg of cocaine.
Indonesia has some of the world's strictest anti-narcotics laws and drug trafficking is punishable by death.
with AP
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