285 arrested after massive drugs haul seized by Indonesian authorities
Indonesia is a major hub for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia despite having strict drug laws, with convicted smugglers sometimes executed by firing squad.
Advertisement
The head of the National Narcotic Agency, Marthinus Hukom, said the crackdown, launched between April and June across 20 provinces, also uncovered money laundering schemes by two drug syndicates and confiscated assets worth more than 26 billion rupiah (about £1.1 million).
Thirty-six of the suspects, including 21 women, were paraded in front of reporters, along with confiscated drugs, in their orange prison uniforms and hands handcuffed.
Indonesian police officers stand guard near various drugs (Achmad Ibrahim/AP)
Mr Hukom said the women arrested were mostly housewives.
'I call on Indonesian women to be more vigilant in establishing friendships both in the real world and in cyberspace,' he said during a joint press conference with officials from the security affairs ministry and the customs office who took part in the operation.
Advertisement
One of the agency's deputies, Budi Wibowo, said authorities seized 683,885 grams (0.68 ton) of crystal meth, marijuana, ecstasy, THC, hashish and amphetamines, adding this helped stop them falling into the hands of 'more than 1.3 million people'.
Mr Wibowo also said that drug syndicates have used various methods to distribute narcotics to users via land and sea transportation or mail services.
The seven foreign nationals were an American, two Kazakhs, two Malaysians, an Indian and an Australian, Mr Wibowo said.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-smuggling hub in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.
Advertisement
In a separate operation, authorities in the province of Riau Island, exposed in May two cases of drug smuggling in its waters and seized 2.7 tons of crystal methamphetamine and 1.2 tons of ketamine, Mr Hukom said on Monday.
In 2023, authorities uncovered more than 52,000 of drug cases and confiscated 6.2 tons of crystal meth, 1.1 tons of marijuana and other types of synthetic narcotics, said Mochammad Hasan of the ministry of security affairs during the press conference.
Mr Hasan said the number increased in 2024 with more than 56,000 cases and confiscated 7.5 tons of crystal meth and 3.3 tons of marijuana, with a combine value worth 7.5 trillion rupiah (£340 million). Authorities have arrested a total of 27,357 drug suspects by November 2024, he said.
Early this month, three British nationals accused of smuggling nearly a kilogram of cocaine into Indonesia were charged in a court on the tourist island of Bali. They face the death penalty under the country's strict drug laws.
Advertisement
About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections' data showed.
Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Crocodile drags grandfather to his death in its jaws as brave villagers fight beast with sticks
An Indonesian grandfather was mauled to death by a crocodile and dragged around in the beast's jaws in front of terrified villagers on the banks of the Semaka River in Lampung, Indonesia yesterday. Footage shows the 10ft crocodile swimming away with the 80-year-old man, named only as Wasim, in its mouth as onlookers armed with sticks bravely chased it from the banks. The reptile was said to have violently attacked Wasim as he bathed in the river near his home in the Tanggamus Regency in southern Indonesia. The elderly man was unable to shout for help as the croc pulled him under the surface. A villager found Wasim's clothes on the riverbank and gathered other locals to help look for him, when they suddenly him being dragged by the crocodile in the water. Fearless residents then rushed into the shallow river with sticks, as footage shows them frantically battering the beast. Semaka Police Chief AKP Sutarto said: 'The victim was found within an hour or at 13.00 WIB, after the crocodile emerged carrying him in its mouth. 'After being struck several times, the crocodile finally released the victim's body. But when recovered, he was already in a lifeless state.' Wasim's son-in-law Samugi said: 'It was just a normal day for us. We didn't expect it to end tragically like this.' The police chief added that Wasim had suffered jagged wounds on his back and shoulders. Cops have urged residents to be more careful when in the river to prevent similar attacks from occurring. Indonesia suffers the most crocodile attacks in the world. There were at least 1,000 incidents over the past decade - though many more are believed to have been unreported. The recent tragedy comes after a teenage boy was mauled to death in Indonesia by a crocodile in front of his horrified friend last month. La Bayu, 17, was fishing with his friend Inguu in the Kaleleha River in Southeast Sulawesi on June 2 when he was snatched by the huge beast. Horrific footage taken by a rescue team shows the teen's body being dragged along the river by the killer croc as the predator held his lifeless body in its jaws. Following the bloody attack, Inguu leapt into the river and tried to grapple with the powerful animal in a desperate attempt to save his friend. However, the animal flung Inguu away as it continued thrashing La Bayu in a gruesome death roll. Rescue workers and residents used a net to catch the animal and collect the victim's butchered corpse. La Bayu was reportedly found with severe injuries near his armpit, a fractured right arm, a severed left hand, and a torn waist. The Indonesian archipelago is home to 14 types of crocs - with a large population of extremely large and violent estuarine crocodiles that flourish in the region's climate. Conservationists believe that crocodiles have been driven further inland and closer to villages due to overfishing reducing the crocodiles' natural food supply combined with habitat loss from the development of coastal areas into farms. Widespread tin mining has also caused villagers to encroach on the crocodiles' natural habitats, pushing the creatures closer toward people's homes. With locals in the developing country still using rivers for bathing and fishing, the deadly combination of factors has led to a rising number of crocodile attacks.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Inside the high-pressure tactics Bali cops are using to 'crack' accused hitmen who allegedly gunned down Aussie gangster - as they hone in on a major clue
An investigation into the fatal shooting of Zivan Radmanovic in Bali has entered its third week, as detectives ramp up the pressure on three suspects in custody. Radmanovic, 32, from Melbourne, was killed just after midnight on June 13 at a villa near Munggu Beach in Bali's Badung district, where his wife was also staying. A second man staying in the villa with his partner, 34-year-old Sanar Ghanim, was also seriously injured in the attack, which is believed to be linked to Melbourne's feuding Middle Eastern crime syndicates. Three Australian men have been arrested in connection to the killing, Midolmore Pasa Tupou, 27, Darcy Francesco Jenson, 27, and Mevlut Coskun, 22. Bali police allege they have gathered enough evidence to charge the suspects with premeditated murder, a crime that under Indonesian law carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or the death sentence. 'We are now investigating the evidence that has been found at the crime scene, as well as all other evidence collected by investigators,' Bali Police Senior Commissioner Ariasandy said. A key focus of the investigation, which is being supported by the Australian Federal Police, is a firearm that was found in a nearby river. Authorities suspect it may have been used in the shooting and are attempting to link it via DNA to the suspects. Police are investigating a firearm found in a river that may have been used in the shooting at the Bali property (pictured is a bullet hole in the villa) 'We had found the gun that allegedly was used in the crime,' Ariasandy said. 'We are now working with the forensic laboratory to find the correlation between all the suspects and the gun, to find out whether it was indeed the weapon used by the suspects. 'We will match it with the suspects' DNA (and) we are also investigating the bullet casings.' Police said the suspects have been uncooperative and are refusing to speak. 'We are applying scientific crime investigation in this case. So, we are making sure that the investigation is conducted based on scientific methods,' Ariasandy explained. He alleged one of the suspects, Darcy Jenson, has made 'limited admissions' about arranging a car, villa and other logistics, but has not made any admissions regarding the shooting. When asked whether the suspects had refused formal interrogation, Ariasandy said '[it is] their right to do so' 'Based on our Criminal Code, investigators can proceed with the case using a minimum of two pieces of evidence. A suspect's admission is only one of many types of evidence that we can use to bring the case to court.' The suspects are currently being detained separately, Darcy at the Bali Police Headquarters and the two others at the Badung Police Station. According to police, the separation is a deliberate tactic to get more information. 'It's part of our strategy for the investigation, so we can get the best result,' Ariasandy said. As the case moves forward, police are preparing to conduct a pre-reenactment, a common part of criminal investigations in Indonesia. During this early-stage procedure, suspects are taken to the crime scene to physically demonstrate their alleged roles. Photographs taken during the reenactment are used in the official case file. 'Yes, it is part of the investigation process. It will show how far the investigation has progressed,' Ariasandy said. He said pre-reenactments often help uncover new facts, as suspects may reveal more when reenacting events in person than during questioning. A full reenactment will be held later, as part of the final dossier for prosecution. Investigators say they are confident in the strength of their case, though they are yet to reveal an alleged motive. They continue to gather forensic and testimonial evidence in preparation for court, as the suspects are confronted with the possibility of life in prison or capital punishment.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Standard Chartered faces $2.7bn lawsuit over 1MDB scandal
Standard Chartered is facing a $2.7billion law suit over allegations of fraud related to the 1MDB Malaysian fund scandal. Claimants for the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad have accused the Asia-focused banking giant of failing to conduct the necessary anti-money laundering checks. They accuse StanChart of allowing 100 intrabank transfers between 2009 and 2013 that helped obscure the flow of stolen funds despite several red flags indicating the money might be connected to illegal activity. Liquidators from financial services group Kroll filed the lawsuit in the High Court of Singapore on Monday. Kroll says it has identified over $2.7billion of illicit money that flowed through StanChart, including transfers to a bank account belonging to former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. It also stated that transfers involved business payments and Razak's wife and stepson receiving jewellery and luxury goods. Accusation: Standard Chartered is facing a $2.7billion legal case over allegations of fraud related to the 1MDB financial scandal. It has strenuously denied the claims Razak is currently serving a six-year prison term after being found guilty in 2020 of money laundering, criminal breach of trust, and abuse of power. 'According to this lawsuit, the transfers demonstrate serious breaches and control failings which ultimately enabled the theft of public funds by people operating at the highest levels of the Malaysian government during that period,' said the liquidators. StanChart has strenuously denied the claims, telling Reuters they are 'without merit' and that they will 'vigorously defend any lawsuit commenced by the liquidators'. The 1MDB scandal is often regarded as Malaysia's biggest ever political scandal and one of the worst global cases of financial kleptocracy. US authorities estimate that $4.5billion was looted from 1MDB, which was ostensibly set up to promote the development of Malaysia, but ended up funding the purchase of luxury houses, artwork, a private jet and even the film 'The Wolf of Wall Street'. They suspect businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, masterminded the massive embezzlement through several schemes. Low, who has been on the run since 2016, has denied all allegations. StanChart said on Tuesday that liquidators had previously claimed the firms implicated in the fraud were shell companies with no legitimate business. Another prominent figure in the 1MDB affair, ex-Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner, was sentenced to two years behind bars in late May after pleading guilty to federal bribery charges. A 1MDB board spokesperson said: 'The Malaysian people were the true victims of this global fraud, and all parties are determined to hold every facilitator to account - including financial institutions that failed in their most basic duties of vigilance and responsibility.' In 2016, StanChart was fined S$5.2million (US$4million) by Singapore's central bank - The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) - for breaking anti-money laundering rules. MAS said the company's breaches were 'serious,' but did not uncover 'pervasive control weaknesses or wilful misconduct'. Standard Chartered shares were 2.9 per cent lower at 1,172.5p on Tuesday morning, making them one of the FTSE 100's biggest fallers.
