Indonesia seizes 1.3 tons of ketamine from ship

Indonesian authorities seized an estimated 1.3 tons of ketamine worth about 2.07 trillion rupiah, or $116.2 million, from a foreign-flagged vessel, National Narcotics Agency chief Suyudi Ario Seto said Sunday.

Suyudi said authorities received intelligence in February that the MV King Sun was sailing east from Thailand toward Indonesia with suspicious cargo, prompting months of surveillance.

A navy warship intercepted the vessel on Thursday, August 7, as it entered Indonesian territory, he said. A joint team later found 65 sacks hidden inside the ship, and tests showed the sacks contained ketamine, he told a news conference on Batam island.

Authorities were still searching the vessel to see whether it contained more drugs.

State news agency Antara reported that the vessel was registered under a Tanzanian flag and was intercepted in waters around the Riau Islands province near Singapore.

Eight crew members aboard the vessel, seven Myanmar nationals and one Taiwanese, have been detained, the National Narcotics Agency said.

Suyudi said investigators were still examining the origin of the load, the intended destination port, and who sent and was meant to receive it.

Ketamine is primarily used as a fast-acting anaesthetic, but is also abused as an illicit party drug. Its distribution is tightly controlled and monitored in Indonesia.

Indonesian authorities seized 3.37 metric tons of cannabis buds last month when they said they foiled a smuggling attempt from Thailand and arrested 12 suspects. In 2021, Indonesian police said they broke up a smuggling ring that moved 2.5 tons of methamphetamine into the country from Afghanistan, with 17 suspects arrested.

Indonesia has tough anti-drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers, but has maintained a moratorium on executions for several years.