Indonesia has seized 2.6 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine hidden on a Tanzanian-flagged vessel in one of the country’s biggest drug busts, with 10 crew members arrested, a senior narcotics official said.
The National Narcotics Agency said in a statement late on Tuesday it had received intelligence that a vessel sailing from Sarawak, Malaysia, through the Andaman Sea may be carrying narcotics to Indonesia.
The agency, in a joint operation with customs officials, intercepted the MV Rain Maker – sailing under a fake name – late on Monday near Bengkalis in Riau province.
“The inspection of the vessel found 2.6 tonnes of methamphetamine, or liquid meth, stored in eight water barrels and a water tank,” narcotics agency official Roy Hardi Siahaan said.
Sniffer dogs also found more than 1.5 million illegal cigarettes on board, the agency said.
Authorities arrested 10 crew members, all Myanmar nationals.