Police uncover home-based drug vape factory involving foreigners

Tangerang, Banten (ANTARA) - The Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police uncovered a home-based industry producing vape liquid containing marijuana, involving three foreign nationals from the United States and Tunisia, at a villa in Bali.

Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police Chief, Senior Commissioner Wisnu Wardana, in a press conference on Thursday (June 25), informed that the illicit business was controlled by an international network, generating profits of up to Rp360 billion (US$19.5 million).

"In this case, officers have arrested three suspects, all of whom are foreign nationals. In addition to the suspects, police also confiscated various types of class I narcotics," he noted.

One of the suspects, identified by the initials BSM, is a US citizen who allegedly served as the operation's main manager in Bali. Meanwhile, ANH and AEP, both Tunisian nationals, allegedly acted as suppliers and couriers.

"This syndicate had been operating since April 2023 and was finally arrested in April 2026," Wardana conveyed.

The investigation began after authorities discovered marijuana being smuggled through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport with Bali as its intended destination.

Investigators later discovered that the suspects were producing liquid cannabis for vape products at a villa in Bali, with a production capacity of up to 2,000 bottles.

"They are capable of producing approximately 2,000 bottles of liquid marijuana vaping per month. This product is then sold to the public at a very high price, around Rp5 million (US$271) per bottle," the police informed.

According to him, this international narcotics syndicate had been operating from April 2023 to the end of April 2026. During the 36 months of operation, authorities estimated that the operation generated up to Rp360 billion (US$19.5 million) in revenue and served approximately 72,000 users.

Authorities said the suspects targeted fellow foreign nationals and acquired their knowledge from the dark web. Their primary customers were foreigners, although broader distribution was not ruled out.

Wardana said the network was highly organized and used payment methods designed to avoid detection. The suspects relied on cryptocurrency for high-value transactions and overseas purchases of raw materials, while domestic buyers paid through local bank accounts.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police Narcotics Investigation Unit, Adjunct Commissioner Michael Kharisma Tandayu, added that the police are currently hunting down a main supplier with the initials SR, who has been added to the Wanted List (DPO).

"We discovered BSM brought several raw materials directly from Thailand to be prepared in Bali," he stated.

The police charged the suspects with violating Article 114(2) of Law No. 35/2009 on Narcotics, in conjunction with Article 610(2)(a) and Article 609(2)(a) of Law No. 1/2023 on the Criminal Code.

"The maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a fine of Rp10 billion (US$542 thousand)," Tandayu remarked.

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Translator: Azmi Syamsul, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Editor: Azis Kurmala

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