Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police Chief Senior Commissioner Wisnu Wardana said on Thursday the seizure resulted from a joint operation conducted by the airport police narcotics unit and customs authorities on March 30, 2026.
Authorities confiscated 10.8 kilograms of ketamine classified as a pharmaceutical substance, with an estimated street value of Rp10.9 billion, Wisnu added.
Investigators arrested a woman identified by her initials WNK, a Hong Kong citizen, who is suspected of transporting the drugs on behalf of an international trafficking syndicate.
According to investigators, the ketamine was concealed inside a suitcase and disguised among the suspect's personal belongings to avoid detection during inspection.
The drugs were smuggled through passenger baggage arriving from overseas, Wisnu said.
Hengky Tomuan Parlindungan Aritonang, head of Soekarno-Hatta Customs' main service office, said officers became suspicious of luggage carried by a passenger traveling on the Paris-Dubai-Jakarta route.
A detailed inspection uncovered 199 packages labeled as Fit Lane Basics dietary supplements containing ketamine powder with a gross weight of 10.8 kilograms.
The ketamine had been hidden inside supplement packaging and packed in the suspect's suitcase as part of an effort to disguise the shipment, Hengky said.
Michael Tandayu, head of the airport police narcotics unit, said investigators believe WNK was acting under instructions from a person identified only as S, who is suspected to be a Hong Kong national.
Police are continuing to investigate the suspect's role, payment flows and the possible involvement of other individuals connected to the smuggling operation, he said.
Authorities have placed S on a wanted list for allegedly directing the shipment of ketamine from overseas into Indonesia.
WNK has been charged under Articles 435 and 436(2) of Indonesia's 2023 Health Law for distributing pharmaceutical products that fail to meet safety and regulatory requirements.
If convicted, the suspect faces up to 12 years in prison and a maximum fine of 5 billion rupiah, Michael said.
Indonesia enforces some of the world's toughest drug laws, with major traffickers facing life imprisonment or the death penalty.
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 Rp66 trillion (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: Azmi SM, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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