Bareskrim Foils Psychotropic Smuggling at Soetta, Arrests 2 Chinese Nationals
Two Chinese men, part of a Malaysia-Indonesia international drug network, have been arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport after being caught smuggling psychotropic substances concealed in coffee and chocolate milk powder.
The Director of Narcotics Crime at Bareskrim Polri, Brigadier General Eko Hadi Santoso, explained that the case was uncovered by a joint team from Sub-Directorate IV of the Bareskrim Narcotics Crime Directorate, led by Police Commissioner Handik Zusen and Police Commissioner Kevin Leleury, in cooperation with Soekarno-Hatta Customs.
“The two Chinese suspects were secured at Terminal 3, International Arrivals, Soekarno-Hatta Airport, on Thursday (9/7) at around 22:30 Western Indonesia Time,” Brigadier General Eko Hadi said in a statement on Saturday (11/7/2026).
The two foreign nationals are Zou Lihua and Zhang Shijie. A search of the suitcase carried by the two suspects revealed it contained 3.4 kilograms of psychotropic substances.
Under initial interrogation, Zou Lihua admitted he was directed by a person named Yining through a Telegram group. He was promised USD 500 to handle the psychotropic substances.
“Before departing, Zou Lihua received an advance payment of USD 200, around 18-19 June 2026. At that time, Zou Lihua was in Cambodia,” Eko Hadi said.
Before landing in Jakarta, Indonesia, Zou Lihua had travelled to Cambodia between September 2025 and February 2026, where he was taken to visit a livestock farm.
Then, in March 2026, Lihua moved to Malaysia and most recently to China in June 2026. In July 2026, he returned to Malaysia on the orders of Qirin via the Telegram application.
The psychotropic substances were collected from Malaysia.
Zou Lihua then flew from Chongqing to Malaysia and continued his journey to Indonesia. Upon arriving at the Malaysian airport, Zou Lihua was taken to a prepared location about an hour’s journey away.
There, Zou Lihua collected the psychotropic substances stored in clear plastic bags from a basement.
“According to his confession, the person who picked him up wore a hat and a mask, had short hair, and never got out of the vehicle,” he added.
After receiving the goods, Zou Lihua met his friend, Zhang Shijie, who was already in Malaysia. Zou Lihua told him that someone was paying for his plane ticket free of charge and asked him to accompany Zou Lihua to Indonesia.
“Zou Lihua told him the goods were medical equipment. The items had already been packed beforehand. Zou Lihua’s courier left immediately after dropping them off,” he explained.
The two then flew to Indonesia on Thursday (9/7) at 20:35 Malaysian time. Before departure, the travel organiser had already sent photographs of the two men, as well as the identification code ‘VIP 8888’, to the person due to collect them at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. However, before the contact arrived, the pair were secured by officers.
Zhang Shijie had become acquainted with Zou Lihua while opening a restaurant in Cambodia, where Zou frequently visited his business.
“Their friendship developed, and they had communicated through the WeChat application for more than half a year. They used WeChat because Telegram cannot be used in China,” he said.
Zhang Shijie is currently residing in Malaysia, preparing to open a restaurant business and renting accommodation. Zhang Shijie claims he did not know that the goods carried by Zou Lihua were psychotropic substances.
“Zhang Shijie admitted he did not know the goods being carried were psychotropic substances. He assumed the items Zou Lihua was carrying were merely ordinary coffee or sachet-packaged drinks. For that reason, Zhang Shijie agreed to take the items on Zou’s behalf, and they were placed in Zhang Shijie’s suitcase for the journey to Indonesia,” he explained.
Nevertheless, the Bareskrim Polri investigation team is still delving deeper into their statements. Investigators are continuing to trace the network above them.