Latest news with #MarthinusHukom
The Star
10 hours ago
- Health
- The Star
Indonesia seizes record US$590mil in meth, uncovers maritime drug route in South-East Asia
JAKARTA: Indonesia is on track to record the largest seizure of drugs by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) in six years, said the agency's chief, with confiscation of methamphetamine reaching 3.41 tonnes – with a street value of US$590 million – so far in 2025. This half-year haul has surpassed the total annual seizure in the previous five years. The latest raid in the waters off Batam in mid-May netted a record 2.1 tonnes of methamphetamine, a synthetic drug also known as meth. The amount can feed eight million addicts, with each gram typically consumed by four people. BNN confiscated less than a tonne for the whole of 2024, and between 2020 and 2023, annually netted between 1.2 tonnes and 2.8 tonnes, according to government data. Government agencies have also, so far in 2025, seized 2.65 tonnes of other drugs, such as marijuana and cocaine, with a street value of at least $95 million. In an interview on July 3, BNN chief Marthinus Hukom shed light on a drug-trafficking maritime route spanning Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. 'The production was in Myanmar while the vessel was built in Thailand,' said Commissioner-General Marthinus, referring to the meth seizure in May. Large-scale production of meth, combined with an ongoing war in Myanmar since 2021, has driven up the supply of the illicit drug in South-east Asia, said a recent report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Seizures of meth across the region were at record highs in 2024, totalling 236 tonnes – a 24 per cent increase compared with the 2023 haul, said UNODC. Meth, a powerful and fast-acting stimulant, can harm a person's heart, teeth and brain if used regularly. It can also cause paranoia, mood swings and memory loss. While there has been a slight decline in drug prevalence in Indonesia, it is still at a worrying level. Marijuana and meth are the two most-used drugs, followed by Ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine and prescription drug abuse. The number of police cases involving arrests of drug offenders in the first 11 months of 2024 stood at 53,672 – up from 50,291 cases in 2023, and 44,983 in 2022, according to government data. Marthinus revealed that for the large meth seizure in May, the drugs had been loaded onto a trade ship in the Andaman Sea off Myanmar. The vessel, Sea Dragon Tarawa, then sailed south through the Malacca Strait to the waters bordering Indonesia and Singapore. It later turned into the South China Sea, cruising off Kalimantan to drop off the meth packages for the Indonesian market, he said. The ship then headed into Philippine and Taiwan waters to unload more drugs. It later looped back to go back into the Andaman Sea, with the trip made several times. It was during one of those regular trips that the ship was caught near Batam, after leaving the Malacca Strait. Data of the trips made was collected by BNN from the vessel's Automatic Identification System satellites. Noting that drug packages sometimes fall off a vessel during trans-shipment, Marthinus said: 'Small boats pick up merchandise from the passing vessel. In the past, local fishermen have found drug packages floating on the sea off North Kalimantan.' The drugs dropped off near Kalimantan were taken to Java and Sulawesi, among other places. According to BNN's analysis, the drugs normally enter Malaysia via boats from Sarawak's capital Kuching and the Philippines through Tawi-Tawi and Mindanao islands. Singapore was not on the delivery list of the Sea Dragon Tarawa. 'We have cut the trade chain for not only Asean countries, but also Taiwan. We expect the drug rings will change their route,' said Marthinus, a former head of Indonesia's anti-terror police squad Detachment 88. Meth in Indonesia is commonly consumed by labourers, plantation workers, drivers and nightlife workers, while marijuana is typically favoured by youth and students. Another synthetic drug, Ecstasy, is commonly used in nightclubs, said BNN. Maturidi Putra, a former drug addict who has been clean for 10 years, said: 'The cure is as simple as returning to the life we had before we became addicted. Avoid the people and environment that led us there in the first place.' The 51-year-old entrepreneur is among scores of people who have returned to a normal life without going through rehabilitation. Denny Bintang, 39, an anti-drug activist who started a 6,400-member Facebook group promoting rehabilitation and campaigning against illicit drugs, told The Straits Times that many addicts are unaware of government facilities that offer free rehabilitation services. 'Many are also afraid to come forward and use the service, thinking they will be arrested,' said Denny, noting there is low awareness that Indonesian law recognises some users as victims, not criminals. He also noted that privately run rehabilitation centres are expensive and not every addict or the family can afford it. The average retail price of meth in Indonesia in 2024 was about US$135 (S$173) per gram, according to UNODC. Prices vary widely across the region, with the lowest prices reported near Myanmar and rising in places farther away. The per-gram street price is US$6 in Myanmar, US$79 in the Philippines, and US$68 in Hong Kong, the UN agency said in a June 26 report. The May raid on the Sea Dragon Tarawa was the result of a five-month intelligence operation, Marthinus said. The six-member crew – four Indonesians and two Thais – were arrested, and 67 cardboard boxes, wrapped in plastic and camouflaged as green tea packages, were seized as evidence. Inside the boxes were 2,000 smaller packages of meth weighing a total of 2.1 tonnes. Similar to a terror network, drug ring leaders target people from poor economic backgrounds to help them expand operations as they are easy to recruit, said Marthinus. 'In the drug operations, they are the sales agents, couriers... We map out the regions in Indonesia that are prone to be recruitment centres. We do our work from there,' he added. Meanwhile, the total number of drug abusers remains a worry, even though the figure has dipped slightly. Indonesian government data shows drug users in the 15 to 64 age group totalled 3.33 million people in 2023, compared with 3.66 million in 2021. Yogo Tri Hendiarto, a criminologist at the University of Indonesia, told ST: 'Demand dictates supply. The large quantity of drugs confiscated this year suggests that demand remains strong in Indonesia and elsewhere, while the country's low prevalence rate indicates that prevention and rehabilitation efforts have been effective.' But he noted that the lower number of drug abusers could be due to weaknesses in survey methodology. - The Straits Times/ANN
Asia News Network
11 hours ago
- Health
- Asia News Network
Indonesia seizes US$460 million worth of meth so far in 2025, a six-year record haul
July 22, 2025 JAKARTA – Indonesia is on track to record the largest seizure of drugs by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) in six years, said the agency's chief, with confiscation of methamphetamine reaching 3.41 tonnes – with a street value of $590 million – so far in 2025. This half-year haul has surpassed the total annual seizure in the previous five years. The latest raid in the waters off Batam in mid-May netted a record 2.1 tonnes of methamphetamine, a synthetic drug also known as meth. The amount can feed eight million addicts, with each gram typically consumed by four people. BNN confiscated less than a tonne for the whole of 2024, and between 2020 and 2023, annually netted between 1.2 tonnes and 2.8 tonnes, according to government data. Government agencies have also, so far in 2025, seized 2.65 tonnes of other drugs, such as marijuana and cocaine, with a street value of at least $95 million. In an interview on July 3, BNN chief Marthinus Hukom shed light on a drug-trafficking maritime route spanning Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. 'The production was in Myanmar while the vessel was built in Thailand,' said Commissioner-General Marthinus, referring to the meth seizure in May. Large-scale production of meth, combined with an ongoing war in Myanmar since 2021, has driven up the supply of the illicit drug in South-east Asia, said a recent report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Seizures of meth across the region were at record highs in 2024, totalling 236 tonnes – a 24 per cent increase compared with the 2023 haul, said UNODC. Meth, a powerful and fast-acting stimulant, can harm a person's heart, teeth and brain if used regularly. It can also cause paranoia, mood swings and memory loss. While there has been a slight decline in drug prevalence in Indonesia, it is still at a worrying level. Marijuana and meth are the two most-used drugs, followed by Ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine and prescription drug abuse. The number of police cases involving arrests of drug offenders in the first 11 months of 2024 stood at 53,672 – up from 50,291 cases in 2023, and 44,983 in 2022, according to government data. Mr Marthinus revealed that for the large meth seizure in May, the drugs had been loaded onto a trade ship in the Andaman Sea off Myanmar. The vessel, Sea Dragon Tarawa, then sailed south through the Malacca Strait to the waters bordering Indonesia and Singapore. It later turned into the South China Sea, cruising off Kalimantan to drop off the meth packages for the Indonesian market, he said. The ship then headed into Philippine and Taiwan waters to unload more drugs. It later looped back to go back into the Andaman Sea, with the trip made several times. It was during one of those regular trips that the ship was caught near Batam, after leaving the Malacca Strait. Data of the trips made was collected by BNN from the vessel's Automatic Identification System satellites. Noting that drug packages sometimes fall off a vessel during trans-shipment, Mr Marthinus said: 'Small boats pick up merchandise from the passing vessel. In the past, local fishermen have found drug packages floating on the sea off North Kalimantan.' The drugs dropped off near Kalimantan were taken to Java and Sulawesi, among other places. According to BNN's analysis, the drugs normally enter Malaysia via boats from Sarawak's capital Kuching and the Philippines through Tawi-Tawi and Mindanao islands. Singapore was not on the delivery list of the Sea Dragon Tarawa. 'We have cut the trade chain for not only Asean countries, but also Taiwan. We expect the drug rings will change their route,' said Mr Marthinus, a former head of Indonesia's anti-terror police squad Detachment 88. Meth in Indonesia is commonly consumed by labourers, plantation workers, drivers and nightlife workers, while marijuana is typically favoured by youth and students. Another synthetic drug, Ecstasy, is commonly used in nightclubs, said BNN. Mr Maturidi Putra, a former drug addict who has been clean for 10 years, said: 'The cure is as simple as returning to the life we had before we became addicted. Avoid the people and environment that led us there in the first place.' The 51-year-old entrepreneur is among scores of people who have returned to a normal life without going through rehabilitation. Mr Denny Bintang, 39, an anti-drug activist who started a 6,400-member Facebook group promoting rehabilitation and campaigning against illicit drugs, told The Straits Times that many addicts are unaware of government facilities that offer free rehabilitation services. 'Many are also afraid to come forward and use the service, thinking they will be arrested,' said Mr Denny, noting there is low awareness that Indonesian law recognises some users as victims, not criminals. He also noted that privately run rehabilitation centres are expensive and not every addict or the family can afford it. The average retail price of meth in Indonesia in 2024 was about US$135 (S$173) per gram, according to UNODC. Prices vary widely across the region, with the lowest prices reported near Myanmar and rising in places farther away. The per-gram street price is US$6 in Myanmar, US$79 in the Philippines, and US$68 in Hong Kong, the UN agency said in a June 26 report. The May raid on the Sea Dragon Tarawa was the result of a five-month intelligence operation, Mr Marthinus said. The six-member crew – four Indonesians and two Thais – were arrested, and 67 cardboard boxes, wrapped in plastic and camouflaged as green tea packages, were seized as evidence. Inside the boxes were 2,000 smaller packages of meth weighing a total of 2.1 tonnes. Similar to a terror network, drug ring leaders target people from poor economic backgrounds to help them expand operations as they are easy to recruit, said Mr Marthinus. 'In the drug operations, they are the sales agents, couriers… We map out the regions in Indonesia that are prone to be recruitment centres. We do our work from there,' he added. Meanwhile, the total number of drug abusers remains a worry, even though the figure has dipped slightly. Indonesian government data shows drug users in the 15 to 64 age group totalled 3.33 million people in 2023, compared with 3.66 million in 2021. Mr Yogo Tri Hendiarto, a criminologist at the University of Indonesia, told ST: 'Demand dictates supply. The large quantity of drugs confiscated this year suggests that demand remains strong in Indonesia and elsewhere, while the country's low prevalence rate indicates that prevention and rehabilitation efforts have been effective.' But he noted that the lower number of drug abusers could be due to weaknesses in survey methodology.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Indonesia seizes $590m worth of drugs so far in 2025, a six-year record haul
Find out what's new on ST website and app. – Indonesia is on track to record the largest drug seizures by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) in six years, said its chief, with confiscation of methamphetamine reaching 3.41 tonnes, with a street value of $590 million, so far in 2025 . This half-year haul surpassed the total annual seizure in the previous five years. The latest raid in the waters off Batam in mid-May 2025 netted a record 2.1 tonnes of methamphetamine, a synthetic drug also known as meth. The amount can feed eight million meth addicts, with each gram typically consumed by four people. BNN confiscated less than a tonne for the whole of 2024, and between 2020 and 2023 annually netted between 1.2 and 2.8 tonnes, according to government data. Government agencies have also, so far in 2025 , seized 2.65 tonnes of other drugs, such as marijuana and cocaine, with a street value of at least $95 million. In an interview on July 3, BNN chief Marthinus Hukom shed light on a drug-trafficking maritime route spanning Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. 'The production was in Myanmar while the vessel was built in Thailand,' said Commissioner-General Marthinus, referring to the meth seizure in May. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business $1.1 billion allocated to three fund managers to boost Singapore stock market: MAS Singapore Risk of flash floods in parts of central and eastern Singapore: PUB Singapore Malaysia-bound motorists urged to avoid Tuas Second Link on July 23 due to chemical spill exercise Singapore Trial of new dengue vaccine begins recruitment for child participants in Singapore Singapore Mandai Wildlife Group group CEO Mike Barclay to retire; Bennett Neo named as successor Singapore Fresh charge for woman who harassed nurse during pandemic, created ruckus at lion dance competition Singapore Witness stand not arena for humiliation in sex offence cases, judge reminds lawyers Asia Japan PM Ishiba under siege after ruling coalition loses Upper House majority Large-scale production of meth , combined with an ongoing war in Myanmar from 2021 have driven up the supply of the illicit drug in South-east Asia, said a recent report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Seizures of meth across the region were at record highs in 2024, totalling 236 tonnes, or a 24 per cent increase compared with the 2023 haul, said UNODC. Meth, a powerful and fast-acting stimulant, can harm a person's heart, teeth and brain if used regularly. It can also cause paranoia, mood swings and memory loss. In Indonesia, drug prevalence has remained at a worrying level despite a slight decline nationwide . Marijuana and meth are the two most-used drugs, followed by Ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine and prescription drug abuse. The number of police cases involving arrests of drug offenders in the first 11 months of 2024 was recorded at 53,672, up from 50,291 cases in 2023 and 44,983 in 2022, according to government data. Mr Marthinus revealed the meth seized in May was loaded on a trade ship in the Andaman Sea off Myanmar. The vessel, the Sea Dragon Tarawa, then sailed south through the Malacca Strait to the waters bordering Indonesia and Singapore. It later turned into the South China Sea, cruising off Kalimantan to drop off the meth packages for the Indonesian market, he said. The ship then entered Philippine and Taiwan waters to unload more drugs. Noting that drug packages sometimes fell off the vessel during trans-shipment, Mr Marthinus said: 'Small boats pick up merchandise from the passing vessel. In the past, local fishermen have found drug packages floating on the sea off North Kalimantan.' The ship later returned to the Andaman Sea for reloading, he added, citing data BNN collected from Automatic Identification System satellites on the vessel . The drugs dropped off near Kalimantan were later taken to Java and Sulawesi, among other places. According to BNN's analysis, the drugs normally enter Malaysia via boats from Sarawak's capital Kuching and the Philippines through Tawi-Tawi and Mindanao islands. Singapore was not on the delivery list of the Sea Dragon Tarawa. 'We have cut the trade chain for not only Asean countries but also Taiwan. We expect the drug rings will change their route,' said Mr Marthinus, a former head of Indonesia's anti-terror police squad Detachment 88. Meth in Indonesia is commonly consumed by labourers, plantation workers, drivers and nightlife workers, while marijuana is typically favoured by youth and students. Another synthetic drug, Ecstasy, is commonly used in nightclubs, said BNN . Mr Maturidi Putra, a former drug addict who has been clean for 10 years, said: 'The cure is as simple as returning to the life we had before we became addicted. Avoid the people and environment that led us there in the first place.' The entrepreneur, 51, is among scores of people who managed to return to a normal life without going through rehabilitation. Mr Denny Bintang , 39, an anti-drug activist who started a 6,400-member Facebook group promoting rehabilitation and campaigning against illicit drug, told The Straits Times many addicts are unaware of government facilities that offer free rehabilitation services. 'Most of them are afraid to come forward and use this service thinking they would be arrested,' said Mr Denny, noting there is low awareness that Indonesian law recognises some users as victims , not criminals. He also noted that privately run rehabilitation centres are expensive and not every addict or the family can afford it. The average retail price of meth in Indonesia in 2024 was about US$135 per gram (S$173), according to UNODC. But prices vary widely across the region, with the lowest prices reported near Myanmar and rising in places farther away. The per-gram street price is US$6 in Myanmar, US$79 in the Philippines and US$68 in Hong Kong, the UN agency said in a June 26 report. The May raid was a result of a five-month intelligence operation, Mr Marthinus said. The Sea Dragon Tarawa's six-member crew – four Indonesians and two Thais – were arrested, with evidence comprising 67 cardboard boxes, wrapped in plastic and camouflaged as green tea packages. Inside the boxes were 2,000 smaller packages of meth totalling 2.1 tonnes. Similar to a terror network, drug ring leaders target people from poor economic backgrounds to help them expand operations as they are easy to recruit, said Mr Marthinus. 'In the drug operations, they are the sales agents, couriers... We map out the regions in Indonesia that are prone to be recruitment centres. We do our work from there,' he added. Meanwhile, the total number of drug abusers remains a worry despite dipping slightly . Indonesia government data shows drug users in the 15 to 64 age group totalled 3.33 million people in 2023, compared with 3.66 million in 2021 . 'Demand dictates supply. The large quantity of drugs confiscated this year suggests that demand remains strong in Indonesia and elsewhere, while the country's low prevalence rate indicates that prevention and rehabilitation efforts have been effective,' Mr Yogo Tri Hendriarto, a criminologist at the University of Indonesia, told ST. But he noted that the lower number of drug abusers could be due to weaknesses in survey methodology.
Asia News Network
4 days ago
- Asia News Network
Bali emerges as major hot spot for transnational drug trafficking: Indonesia narcotics agency
July 18, 2025 JAKARTA – The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) revealed that Bali has become a major hot spot for transnational drug trafficking, warning that syndicates are using increasingly sophisticated methods to evade capture and have begun setting up drug production facilities on the island. BNN chief Comr. Gen. Marthinus Hukom said that international drug dealers are now using blockchain technology and cryptocurrency to conduct transactions in Bali. Blockchain and cryptocurrency allow users to carry out anonymous and decentralized financial transactions, making it harder for authorities to trace the flow of money. 'They use messaging apps like Telegram to communicate with buyers, then send coordinates for pick-up locations, eliminating the need for face-to-face contact with dealers or couriers. These transactions can take as little as two minutes and are extremely difficult for authorities to trace,' Marthinus said on Tuesday, as quoted by Antaranews. These syndicates have also established hidden drug laboratories and indoor cannabis farms in Bali, carrying out their illicit activities primarily in rented villas. Marthinus also warned that Bali may be turning into a 'killing ground' for members of transnational drug syndicates. He pointed to the recent shooting of two Australian men in Badung regency last month, which he suspects is linked to international drug trafficking networks. Zivan Radmanovic, 32, was killed and Sanar Ghanim, 34, sustained serious injuries after two armed men broke into their villa in the early hours of June 14 and opened fire. Authorities have since arrested three suspects with the help of Interpol, though the investigation into the motive is still ongoing. According to Marthinus, several major transnational drug syndicates are currently operating in Bali. These include Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle, which spans northern Myanmar and parts of Laos and Thailand, and the Golden Crescent, a network stretching across Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Authorities have also discovered that the Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico, considered the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere, recently began operations in Bali. Marthinus explained that the Sinaloa Cartel's expansion into Bali was driven by a stronger crackdown on international drug cartels in the United States under President Donald Trump, which forced the group to seek new markets. He noted that the cartel primarily traffics drugs into Bali by air. Marthinus added that there has also been a growing presence of Ukrainian and Russian drug syndicates in Bali, following the ongoing war between the two countries. 'Even though their countries are at war, in Bali they become partners in crime in trafficking narcotics,' he said, adding that Indonesian authorities are working with the Russian government to crack down on these syndicates. Bali police arrested more than 1,300 people for drug-related offenses last year, marking an almost 23 percent increase compared to the previous year. They also seized 21 kilograms of methamphetamine, over 18,000 ecstasy pills and nearly 90 kg of cannabis during various operations in 2024. According to Bali Police, 226 foreign nationals were involved in criminal activities on the island last year, including drug trafficking, marking a 16 percent increase from 194 cases the previous year. The majority of those convicted were US citizens, followed by Australians, Russians and British nationals. Despite growing concerns over drug trafficking involving foreign nationals in Bali, there is an increasing trend of leniency in the justice system toward foreigners charged with such offenses. Last week, Bali prosecutors requested prison sentences of nine and six years respectively for an Argentine woman and a British man on trial for smuggling 244 grams of cocaine into Bali, even though the maximum sentence for trafficking over 5 grams is life imprisonment. The previous month, prosecutors sought just one-year sentences for three British nationals accused of trafficking almost one kilogram of cocaine to the island province. The administration of President Prabowo Subianto has moved in recent months to deport to their home countries several high-profile foreign inmates convicted of drug offenses. In February, Serge Atlaoui was sent back to France after Jakarta and Paris agreed on a deal to repatriate him on 'humanitarian grounds' because of ill health. He was granted a conditional release by France authorities on Tuesday. Last December, the government sent home the five remaining members of the 'Bali Nine', a group of Australians who were serving heavy sentences for attempting to smuggle 8.3 kg of heroin out of Bali in 2005. The same month, it also repatriated Philippine national Mary Jane Veloso after commuting her death sentence. According to the Immigration and Corrections Ministry, 96 foreigners were on death row in local prisons for drug offenses before Veloso's transfer to the Philippine authorities.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Partners in crime: How Russia, Ukraine syndicates are running drug trafficking rackets from Bali - with crypto and encrypted chats
Representative image/AI generated Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has identified Bali as a key location for drug trafficking operations, involving Russian and Ukrainian nationals. According to Indonesia's state-run Antara news agency, these syndicates are using advanced technologies like blockchain to avoid detection by law enforcement. BNN chief, police commissioner general Marthinus Hukom, said his agency has found that traffickers are relying on distributed ledger systems to manage their operations discreetly. "This is a very unique phenomenon, where nationals of Russia and Ukraine — two countries currently at war — have become partners in the crime (of) drug trafficking in Bali," Hukom said during a public lecture at Udayana University in Bali, as quoted by Antara. Hukom noted that traffickers are using social media platforms, particularly Instagram, to connect with buyers. Communication is carried out using coded language and encryption to prevent tracing. The syndicates are also conducting transactions through cryptocurrencies rather than traditional payment methods, making enforcement efforts more complex. "It is very difficult to crack down on such practices because the perpetrators do not make transactions in a conventional manner," Hukom was quoted as saying by news agency Ankara. Indonesian authorities are coordinating with Russian officials to address the issue. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has previously said that Indonesia is a major target for international drug syndicates, partly due to its large youth population, even though the country has strict drug laws.
