After being weighed it was known the evidence was around one kilogram worth above Rp1.5 billion."
Batam, Riau Islands (ANTARA News) - A Malaysian citizen has been arrested for attempting to smuggle in around a kilogram of methamphetamine through Batam Centers International Port in Sumatras Riau Islands province.

"The suspect arrived at the port around 2.30pm on Saturday aboard Dumai Ekspress 2 ferry from Setulang Laut, Malaysia," Batam Authoritys (BP Batam) director of integrated service and public relations Dwi Djoko Wiwoho said here on Sunday.

He said BP Batam security directorate personnel Antonius Ajendo was the one that had arrested the suspect and referred him a Batam Customs and Excise official at the port.

The suspect known by his identity as Madhan Raj Raja was born in 1994 and entered Batam using passport Number A:27890543.

"Officers at the port were suspicious of the suspects movement when approaching an X-Ray and finally arrested him," he said.

Following questioning it was discovered that the suspect had hidden the stuff in his underwear.

"After being weighed it was known the evidence was around one kilogram worth above Rp1.5 billion," he said.

The suspect and the evidence had been handed over to the Main Service of Batams Customs and Excise Office in Batuampar for further investigation.

Batam Centers International Port is one of the ports in the region that has often been used by international narcotic networks to smuggle in illegal narcotic drugs.

The Batam Customs and Excise Service in cooperation with the regional police and anti-narcotic agency BNN has so far been able to abort several attempts to smuggle the illegal drugs to the island, which is located around 20 kilometers from Singapore.

According to BNN the narcotic drugs taken to Batam would later be distributed to Jakarta or Surabaya.

International narcotic networks have used Batam as a transit place.

The networks have often used Indonesian migrant workers to be their couriers, it said.

(Reporting by Larno/Uu.H-YH)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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