$192m Ketamine Haul: Indonesia Seizes Mongolian Tanker in Record Drug Bust
Indonesian police intercept 1.16 tonnes of ketamine worth $192 million from a Mongolian-flagged tanker off North.
The vessel, MT Global 168, was detained off the coast of North Sumatra earlier this week, with police chief Suyudi Ario Seto confirming the bust on Friday.
The MT Global 168, though flying Mongolia’s flag, is owned by a company based in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Indonesian intelligence had been tracking the vessel since August after detecting irregularities in its Automatic Identification System (AIS). “This is the modus operandi often taken by smugglers,” Seto told reporters.
On October 14, between between 12:31 PM and 1:25 PM, it was monitored passing through the strait, a critical chokepoint for maritime trade. Authorities later escorted the vessel to Belawan Port in North Sumatra for inspection, where they discovered the ketamine hidden in 58 sacks.
Seto revealed that the tanker had departed from Pasir Gudang, Malaysia, and made a stop at Port Klang in Selangor to refill fresh water and fuel. “The tanker departed from docking in Pasir Gudang, Johor state, Malaysia, heading to the Andaman Sea in September through Port Klang in Selangor state,” he said. Investigators suspect a ship-to-ship transfer took place in the Andaman Sea, though details remain under investigation.
How the Tanker’s AIS Blackout Raised Suspicion: Drug
Eight crew members were arrested during the operation, including seven Indonesians and one Taiwanese national. Among those detained were the ship’s captain, chief officer, chief engineer, second engineer, oiler, and two able seamen. The Taiwanese national, identified as YCY, was also working as an able seaman on the vessel. Malaysian authorities have since been notified, with Hussein Omar Khan, director of the Royal Malaysia Police’s national narcotics unit, stating that his team would investigate whether a Malaysian drug syndicate was involved in the tanker’s operations.
“The unit will also investigate whether a Malaysian drug syndicate was involved in the vessel’s operations,” Khan said. The tanker’s ownership has been traced to two Malaysian businessmen based in Johor Bahru, though their identities have not been disclosed.
In a separate operation, Indonesian police raided a clandestine laboratory in Pidie regency, Aceh province, seizing 1.2 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine. The raid, conducted on Wednesday, led to the arrest of 11 suspects, including nine Indonesians and two Chinese nationals. The laboratory was operating from two adjoining shophouses in Beureueh Dua village, with investigators believing it was part of an international drug trafficking network linked to syndicates in China, Malaysia, and the Golden Triangle, a region notorious for large-scale drug production.
Crew Arrests and Links to International Syndicates
Seto emphasised the scale of the threat, noting that the seizures underscore the growing influence of international syndicates in Indonesia. “The amount of drugs seized shows the threat that international syndicates pose to Indonesia’s national security,” he said. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities tracing the financial networks behind both operations and examining possible connections to other recent drug busts in the region.
Just two months ago, Indonesian authorities intercepted a ship near the Riau Islands carrying 1.3 tonnes of ketamine from Thailand. In August, another vessel near Batam island was found carrying 2.6 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine and 1.5 millionlion illicit Chinese cigarettes. These cases highlight the increasing use of maritime routes for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia, with the Malacca Strait and Andaman Sea emerging as key transit points.
“Previously, we seized 800 kilograms kilograms of ketamine onboard Phu Sanh Singharaj, where we tracked the trace of MT Global 168.”
Suyudi Ario Seto·Indonesian police chief
The Phu Sanh Singharaj, another vessel impounded in connection with the investigation, had been carrying 800 kilograms kilograms of ketamine. Authorities are now working to determine whether the same syndicate was behind both shipments and whether the drugs were destined for distribution within Indonesia or further afield.
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