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Indonesian Police: MV King Sun Crew Promised $10,000 Bonus for Smuggling Ketamine
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Crime & Justice

Indonesian Police: MV King Sun Crew Promised $10,000 Bonus for Smuggling Ketamine

From CNN Indonesia · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Indonesian police arrested eight crew members of the MV King Sun cargo ship for allegedly smuggling 1.3 tons of ketamine.
  • The crew, comprising seven Myanmar nationals and one Taiwanese, were promised bonuses totaling $10,000 if the smuggling operation was successful.
  • The ship was intercepted in Indonesian waters after a months-long investigation that began in February 2026.

Indonesian police have arrested eight crew members of the MV King Sun cargo ship for their alleged involvement in smuggling 1.3 tons of ketamine. The crew, consisting of seven individuals from Myanmar and one from Taiwan, were reportedly promised a bonus of up to $10,000 if the operation to smuggle the drug was successful.

According to Kombes Zulkarnain Harahap of the National Police's Narcotics Crime Directorate, the bonus was to be paid after the ketamine was handed over. Individual wages varied based on roles, with the captain earning $3,000 and the lowest-ranking crew member, the cook, receiving $1,000. A "controller" role reportedly earned a monthly salary of NT$50,000 plus a bonus of NT$100,000 per delivery.

The MV King Sun was intercepted in the waters off Berakit, Bintan, as a result of an investigation that began in February 2026 after authorities received information about suspicious activity from a vessel originating in Thailand. A search of the ship revealed 65 sacks containing dozens of packages of ketamine.

The National Police's Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim Polri) is handling the investigation into the ketamine smuggling. Harahap clarified that while the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) focuses on narcotics and psychotropics, Bareskrim Polri has jurisdiction over pharmaceutical substances like ketamine, in accordance with Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNN Indonesia in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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