Indonesian authorities seize 2.6 tons of liquid meth, millions of illegal cigarettes from foreign ship

Indonesian authorities have intercepted a Tanzania-flagged cargo ship, the MV Ocean Porter, in the Riau Islands, uncovering a massive smuggling operation involving 2.6 tons of liquid methamphetamine and millions of illegal cigarettes. The vessel, previously known as MV Rain Maker, was apprehended on Monday night following intelligence analysis indicating it was transporting narcotics from Sarawak, Malaysia, through the Andaman Sea towards Indonesian waters.

According to Sodikin, Head of the Riau Islands Special Customs and Excise Regional Office, the liquid meth was contained in eight drums. Additionally, the ship carried an estimated 1.57 million sticks of illegal cigarettes, believed to be of Chinese origin, packed in boxes of 50 slims each. The bust was the result of a joint intelligence analysis by the Customs and Excise Directorate of Narcotics Interdiction and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) RI.

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This disclosure began with the results of joint intelligence analysis.

Authorities flagged the MV Ocean Porter due to anomalies in its movement, suggesting it engaged in ship-to-ship narcotics transfers in the Andaman Sea-Strait of Malacca area before entering the Singapore Strait. Customs officials intensified monitoring of the ship's trajectory until it entered Indonesian waters, leading to the successful interception.

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Based on profiling results, the ship was suspected of engaging in ship-to-ship narcotics activities in the Andaman-Strait of Malacca waters before moving towards the Strait of Singapore.

This significant seizure is estimated to have saved approximately 13 million lives from potential drug abuse and prevented substantial economic losses for the state. The estimated cost savings for rehabilitation alone amount to 25.9 trillion rupiah. The illegal cigarettes seized represent an estimated value of 3.9 billion rupiah, with the state potentially saving another 4.4 billion rupiah in evaded taxes and duties.

The operation involved a joint task force from the Riau Islands Special Customs and Excise Regional Office, the Tanjung Balai Karimun Customs Patrol Unit, supported by several Customs patrol vessels, and an onboard team from the BNN RI. The MV Ocean Porter was boarded and inspected in waters north of Tanjung Parit around 9:00 PM Western Indonesian Time and subsequently towed.

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The state losses are quite large, liquid meth could be 25.9 trillion rupiah. For cigarettes without excise tape, it is estimated to be around 4,463,478,600 rupiah.