The office's head, Nurhasan Ashari, stated that the suspect, only identified as HS, worked for a cargo vessel KLM Arung Bahari Jaya I that sailed from Malaysia's Port Klang.
HS was arrested shortly after his cargo ship docked at Teluk Nibung Port on October 5, he told journalists in Tanjungbalai, about 174 km away from Medan, the capital of North Sumatra Province, on Friday.
Ashari revealed that the drug racket could be uncovered owing to a tip-off from the public while adding that the customs office's K-9 team, with its police dogs, conducted an examination on the vessel.
The examination resulted in the discovery of five tea packs containing five kg of meth that HS attempted to smuggle to then be delivered to DH, who was another suspect earlier arrested by the Tanjungbalai city police.
Ashari said his office had handed over the suspect and seized drug package to the city police for investigation.
The customs office's success in foiling the smuggling operation has saved at least 25 thousand people from potentially getting dragged into drug abuse and crime, he stated.
Ashari, however, called on his men and local residents to remain cautious about any drug trafficking operation.
Domestic and transnational drug dealers consider Indonesia to be a potential market due to its vast population and widespread drug use.
The value of drug trade in the country is estimated to have reached nearly Rp66 trillion (around US$4.2 billion), with the number of drug trafficking cases continuing to rise.
According to the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), North Sumatra is the third most vulnerable province in Indonesia when it comes to drug trafficking and related crimes.
The agency reported that some 80 percent of illicit drugs that reach North Sumatra are smuggled via sea.
A joint survey conducted by BNN and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in 2019 pegged the number of drug users in Indonesia at over 3.4 million.
The survey conducted in 34 provinces indicated that about 180 out of every 10 thousand Indonesians in the age group of 15 to 64 years were drug users.
Users of crystal methamphetamine, narcotics, marijuana, and other addictive drugs can be from any community and socioeconomic and cultural background.
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Translator: M.Sahbainy N, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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