“This is our largest bust and a major success in breaking the smuggling route through Donggala District,” Central Sulawesi Police Chief Inspector General Endi Sutendi said at a press conference here.
The arrests took place on Thursday, November 13, around 2 p.m. local time in Donggala District.
“Following the arrests, we continued tracking the network, as it is international and connected to the same supplier from Malaysia,” Endi said.
The five suspects, identified by initials AF, MF, M, SR, and I, were apprehended with the drugs. Each played a different role and received varying payments for their involvement.
“The role of female suspect SR is still under investigation. When AF was arrested, SR was picking up S, so both were immediately detained with the evidence,” Endi added.
Central Sulawesi Police Narcotics Director Senior Commissioner Pribadi Sembiring said the suspects’ movements had been monitored for an extended period.
“They are not repeat offenders and this is their first arrest. However, according to their statements, they have conducted three smuggling operations: first three kilograms, second 30 kg which got through, and third 60 kg which we intercepted,” Sembiring said.
The methamphetamine was transported by Indonesians residing in Malaysia, then smuggled into Central Sulawesi and handed to other suspects awaiting instructions from a Malaysian fugitive.
“This seizure could prevent drug abuse affecting around 300,000 people. The suspects face life imprisonment or the death penalty,” Sembiring said.
Indonesia enforces some of the world’s toughest drug laws, with major traffickers facing life imprisonment or the death penalty.
On Sept. 4, 2025, the Medan District Court in North Sumatra, for instance, sentenced M. Alfarisi, 36, to death for acting as a courier in the trafficking of nearly 4,833 ecstasy pills.
Despite these strict penalties, the country remains a lucrative market for drug syndicates, driven by its large population and millions of users.
The nation’s drug trade is valued at an estimated 66 trillion rupiah (US$4.3 billion), according to the National Narcotics Agency (BNN).
A BNN survey estimates that 3.4 million Indonesians use drugs—roughly 180 out of every 10,000 people aged 15 to 64.
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Translator: M.Ridwan, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: M Razi Rahman
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
