Indonesia has seized 2.6 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine hidden on a Tanzanian-flagged vessel in one of the country’s biggest drug busts, with 10 crew members arrested, a senior narcotics official said.
The National Narcotics Agency said in a statement late on Tuesday, 18th August, that it had received intelligence that a vessel sailing from Sarawak, Malaysia, through the Andaman Sea may be carrying narcotics to Indonesia. The agency, in a joint operation with customs officials, intercepted the MV Rain Maker, sailing under a fake name, late on Monday, 17th August, near Bengkalis in Riau province. The vessel was then towed to a customs base in the Riau Islands for detailed inspection using specialist equipment, including sniffer dogs.
“The inspection of the vessel found 2.6 tonnes of methamphetamine, or liquid meth, stored in eight water barrels and a water tank,” narcotics agency official Roy Hardi Siahaan said.
Sniffer dogs also found more than 1.5 million illegal cigarettes on board, discovered during the same inspection process. Authorities arrested 10 crew members, all Myanmar nationals. Further checks confirmed the vessel had previously operated under the name MV Ocean Porter.
The liquid form of the drug was concealed in containers that would normally hold water, a method intended to evade routine checks. Liquid methamphetamine presents particular detection difficulties because it can be stored in ordinary liquid containers, requiring specialised testing and canine units to identify it.
Monday’s bust was the second involving a Tanzanian-flagged vessel intercepted in the area this month. On 8th August, Indonesian authorities seized 1.3 tonnes of ketamine from a ship sailing in waters around the Riau Islands near Singapore, arresting eight crew members, seven from Myanmar and one from Taiwan.
Last year, authorities announced Indonesia’s biggest-ever drug bust, with the seizure of two tonnes of crystal meth hidden on a fishing boat sailing from the Andaman Sea to Batam Island. Officials described the latest seizure as among the largest of its kind this year.
Southeast Asia has long faced challenges from transnational drug syndicates using commercial and fishing vessels to move large consignments. Indonesia’s extensive coastline and position along major shipping lanes make it particularly vulnerable, according to regional enforcement assessments. The combination of narcotics and contraband cigarettes on a single ship points to organised efforts to maximise profit from multiple forms of smuggling on shared maritime paths.
Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers, but has maintained a moratorium on executions for several years. That moratorium has not reduced the intensity of operations against traffickers, as shown by the volume of drugs removed from circulation in recent weeks.
Crew members from the latest vessel remain in custody pending further questioning and legal proceedings under Indonesia’s strict narcotics legislation. Investigations continue into the wider trafficking network believed to be behind the shipment, including any connections to other vessels flying the same flag. Further details are expected as laboratory analysis of the seized liquid and examination of the vessel’s documentation progress.
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