July 18, 2024
JAKARTA – Indonesia has intercepted a Singapore-flagged vessel carrying 106kg of crystal methamphetamine in the waters off the Riau Islands that was probably en route to Brisbane, Australia, said the authorities on July 17.
Acting on a tip-off, the Indonesian authorities intercepted the cargo vessel, called Legend Aquarius, in the Pongkar waters of the Karimun district, about one hour from Singapore by ferry.
It was manned by 10 Indonesian crew members, including the captain.
Three Singapore permanent residents who are Indian nationals were also on board. They are allegedly the owners of the drugs and had commissioned the trip, police commissioner-general Marthinus Hukom, head of the Indonesian National Narcotic Agency (BNN), told reporters at a press conference in Batam.
Contacted by The Straits Times, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said that on July 17, it was alerted to the detention of a Singapore-flagged vessel, Legend Aquarius, by the Indonesian authorities.
“MPA is in contact with the vessel owner to ascertain the facts and has advised the company to cooperate with the Indonesian authorities on the investigations,” MPA said in a reply to The Straits Times.
At the press conference, Inspector-General Wayan Sugiri, BNN deputy for eradication, said the vessel left Singapore on July 9 for a private port in Johor Bahru.
While at the private port on July 12, the three PRs – whose initials police disclosed as RM, SD and GV – loaded the illicit drugs onto the vessel and placed them in the engine room. The boat captain and nine crew members had earlier been told to leave the vessel and have a break on shore.
The three PRs have lived in Singapore for periods of between six and eight years, and each of them has academic credentials in vessel engineering, said the authorities.
On July 13, the vessel was refuelled in the waters off Singapore before continuing the trip towards Indonesia.
“Based on our interrogations of the three foreigners, they had planned to head to Surabaya, Dili, Papua, then Brisbane, Australia. But we will double-check this, in case they didn’t state the truth,” said Inspector-General Wayan.
He also said the authorities had received a tip-off about the illegal shipment from members of the public whom he declined to identify. He added that the vessel crew were not implicated in the crime.
The BNN said the vessel has an IMO number of 9797072. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) uses a numbering system to provide a mechanism and registry for the unique identification and registration of vessels globally to increase traceability and transparency.
The maximum penalty for a conviction over charges related to the trading of illegal drugs is a death sentence, according to the 2009 anti-narcotics law.
“The message from BNN’s chief (General Marthinus Hukom) is clear: Don’t try to get drugs into Indonesia. We are not working alone. We receive information coming from everywhere,” said Inspector-General Wayan.
Indonesia’s anti-narcotic agency BNN presenting in a media briefing confiscated crystal methamphetamine from the Singapore-flagged Legend Aquarius it intercepted in waters off the Riau Islands. PHOTO: F. PANGESTU/THE STRAITS TIMES
The crackdown on trafficking by Indonesia comes amid soaring consumption of illicit narcotics in the region.
On Feb 23, BNN and the Central Narcotics Bureau of Singapore agreed to form a strategic partnership to fight illicit drugs in South-east Asia, as there had been a rise in such crimes as well as increasing complexity in curbing them.
BNN head Marthinus said Indonesia would work with its Singapore counterparts to exchange information and data, as well as collaborate on enforcement and joint operations, Indonesian state news agency Antara reported on Feb 23.