Indonesian Police seize 325 kilograms of meth, arrest two in Aceh

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Police have foiled an attempt to smuggle 325 kilograms of methamphetamine allegedly linked to a Thailand-based cross-border drug syndicate and arrested two suspects in Aceh.

Director of Drug Crimes at the Indonesian Police, Brigadier General Eko Hadi Santoso, said on Sunday that the suspects were arrested on June 23 following an investigation conducted by a joint team since early May.

During the operation in Lhokseumawe, Aceh, officers intercepted a Honda SUV carrying the drugs and arrested two suspects identified only by their initials, JF, the boat captain, and Z, the coordinator of the inland distribution network.

The police have put MJ and MHL on the wanted list, and operations to pursue the two are ongoing, he said, adding that a separate process is taking place to determine the cash flow and bank accounts involved in the operation.

According to the preliminary investigation, the methamphetamine was transferred through a ship-to-ship operation about 120 nautical miles off the Indonesia-Thailand maritime border before being transported to Aceh.

"During questioning, we identified two other individuals suspected of controlling the drug trafficking operation, identified by the initials MJ and MHL," Santoso said.

Police have placed MJ and MHL on the wanted list, and efforts to apprehend them are ongoing. Investigators are also tracing the financial transactions and bank accounts linked to the syndicate, he added.

Authorities are continuing laboratory examinations of the seized drugs and electronic devices while expanding the investigation to identify the international network behind the smuggling operation.

Santoso said Z admitted he had been promised Rp30 million for each sack successfully delivered, meaning he stood to earn up to Rp390 million, while JF was promised Rp400 million.

Police estimated the seized methamphetamine to be worth around Rp585 billion (US$31.6 million), adding that the operation may have prevented approximately 1.62 million people from being exposed to the dangers of drug abuse.

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Translator: Devi Nindy Sari R, Nabil Ihsan

Editor: M Razi Rahman

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