Makassar Customs foils 1kg meth smuggling attempt from Malaysia

Makassar (ANTARA) - The Makassar Customs Office and the South Sulawesi Regional Police have uncovered a methamphetamine smuggling operation from Malaysia through Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar.

"Officers suspected a male passenger identified by the initials MA of carrying narcotics. During the inspection, officers found four packages of Category I narcotics believed to be methamphetamine, with two packages taped to each thigh," said Martha Octavia, Head of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) Regional Office for South Sulawesi and Sulawesi.

At a press conference in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Tuesday, Octavia explained that the methamphetamine was smuggled by an air courier from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Makassar.

The operation was uncovered after Customs intelligence analyzed passenger risk profiles on international flights from Kuala Lumpur to Makassar.

"The seized narcotics consisted of approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine with a total gross weight of approximately 1,000 grams or one kilogram with an estimated value of Rp1.2 billion (around US$75,000)," she explained.

With assistance from the Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport Immigration Office in Makassar, the methamphetamine evidence and the suspect were handed over to the South Sulawesi Regional Police for further investigation to dismantle the international narcotics network.

Following a controlled delivery operation, police arrested two additional suspects, identified as P and MT, in Makassar. They were charged under Indonesia's Narcotics Law (Law No. 35 of 2009).

She stated that uncovering this illegal drug distribution practice was the result of a joint operation that saved 5,000 young people from drug abuse and helped the state avoid an estimated Rp7.9 billion (around US$493,750) in potential rehabilitation costs.

"This demonstrates the commitment of Customs and Excise, along with other law enforcement agencies, to protect the public from the threat of transnational crime, particularly narcotics smuggling that utilizes international and organized channels," she said.

Earlier, the South Sulawesi Regional Police reported that 2,040 people had been processed in connection with the distribution of methamphetamine. From January to June 2026, a total of 77.3 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized.

This was followed by 18,564 Schedule G drugs, 2.1 kilograms of marijuana, 30.7 kilograms of cocaine, 1,039 ecstasy pills, 1,933.95 milliliters of synthetic liquid, 679.83 grams of synthetic tobacco, and 157 etomidate cartridges.

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Translator: Arie Novarina

Editor: M Razi Rahman

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