Indonesian Police Hunt Four in 48kg Meth Smuggling Case from Malaysia

Indonesian police are actively pursuing four individuals suspected of involvement in smuggling 48 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from Malaysia into Bengkalis, Riau. The suspects have been placed on the wanted list by the Indonesian National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri).

The ongoing investigation stems from the apprehension of two couriers who were attempting to smuggle the drugs, along with 15 kilograms of ketamine and 20,000 ecstasy pills, from Malaysia on May 18. The couriers managed to escape into the mangrove forest, abandoning two boxes of narcotics on a speedboat.

On June 16, authorities tracked down one of the couriers, identified as Indra Bayu, to his parents' home in Bengkalis and arrested him. During interrogation, Indra Bayu implicated Solihin as the intermediary who arranged the speedboat rental for the smuggling operation. Solihin was subsequently arrested at his residence.

Information from Indra Bayu and Solihin led investigators to identify four other individuals as key figures in the network. These fugitives, identified as Erwin, Muhammad Nabil Haryadi (alias Nabil), Atuk Ham (the alleged Indonesian network controller), and Wan (the Malaysian controller), are now the focus of a manhunt. The arrested couriers reportedly confessed to being promised 100 million Indonesian rupiah each by Atuk Ham. Furthermore, Erwin and Indra Bayu are suspected of prior involvement in a July 2025 case involving the smuggling of 27 kilograms of methamphetamine, which was also investigated by Bareskrim Polri.