Indonesia Foils 21.9 Kg Meth Smuggling Operation in Riau

4 hours ago 2

April 19, 2026 | 09:11 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Directorate General of Customs and Excise along with the Indonesian National Police Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) has successfully thwarted the circulation of 21.9 kilograms of methamphetamine, or 'meth' for short. Novryansyah, the Head of the Bengkalis Customs and Excise Office, stated that the evidence was found in a hotel in the Senggoro area of Bengkalis, Riau province, in the early hours of Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

Novryansyah mentioned that the enforcement action stemmed from a report received the previous day. "The team immediately conducted a ground and sea sweep, ultimately leading to the successful seizure of the evidence and the perpetrators at the location," he said in a written statement on Friday, April 17, 2026.

During the operation around 3:00 AM, the joint team apprehended a suspected perpetrator identified as R, 29 years old. From the scene, officials found 20 plastic packets containing methamphetamine, confirmed through a narcotest. The evidence was stored in two backpacks alongside two mobile phones belonging to the perpetrator.

Based on initial interrogation results, according to Novryansyah, the perpetrator admitted to receiving a reward of Rp8 million to transport the goods from Bengkalis to Pekanbaru. Novryansyah stated that this indicates that the narcotics distribution network is still active, utilizing the area as a distribution route.

Novryansyah mentioned that this enforcement action is part of law enforcement under Law Number 17 of 2006 regarding Customs and Law Number 35 of 2009 regarding Narcotics. The estimated value of the evidence is around Rp 32.8 billion.

Furthermore, Bareskrim estimates that the thwarting of the methamphetamine circulation has potentially saved over 109,658 lives from drug abuse. He emphasized that Customs and Excise will continue to strengthen cooperation with other law enforcement agencies to eradicate drug smuggling.

Read: Customs Hold Up Aid from Indonesian Diaspora in Malaysia Bound for Sumatra

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