Indonesian Navy Seizes 1.3 Tons of Drugs from Ship in Riau Waters

The Indonesian Navy has successfully thwarted a major drug smuggling operation, intercepting the MV King Sun, a ship flying the Tanzanian flag, in the waters of Tanjung Berakit, Riau Islands. The operation resulted in the seizure of approximately 1.3 tons of ketamine, a significant haul with an estimated value between Rp1.95 trillion and Rp4.55 trillion.

“

Based on the initial examination at Kodaeral IV, 65 sacks weighing approximately 1.3 tons were found, suspected to contain ketamine.

Admiral Denih Hendrata, head of the Indonesian Navy's Fleet Command, detailed the interception, which involved the KRI Kerambit - 627. The vessel was patrolling when it detected an anomaly in the MV King Sun's course after it entered Indonesian waters from Thailand. The ship's erratic movements, described as an attempt to obscure its identity and intentions, raised suspicions.

Further investigation revealed that the MV King Sun was not headed for Indonesia but was allegedly attempting to smuggle the drugs out of the country. The ship had been observed circling in Riau Islands waters before being intercepted on August 6, 2026. Its detection involved a combination of radar, AIS, and SeaVision monitoring.

“

If technically executed, the KRI was patrolling the sea, routinely deployed based on sector. So based on information, there was an anomaly, that anomaly could be monitored from the KRI itself or from Poskadal, so it's a combination of radar use and applications from the poskodal so this anomaly was found to be unclear, which is dapsip. Dapsip means intentionality, removing identity. That's why we will investigate further, the ship's status, then the cargo and documents.

Following the interception, the MV King Sun and its 11 crew members, including one Taiwanese national and seven Indonesians, were escorted to the Mako Kodaeral IV base in Batam. A joint team from the Navy, Customs, National Narcotics Agency (BNN), and the National Police's Criminal Investigation Unit conducted a detailed search. The ketamine was discovered hidden in 65 sacks within the ship's basement.

“

Ask the criminals, because the criminals' names bring up various modus operandi, so they don't get caught, like thieves. Oh, the destination is abroad, but the modus operandi is circling around, right, that's what was called an anomaly earlier.