Bareskrim Uncovers N2O 'Whip Pink' Gas Distribution Targeting Jakarta Nightlife Venues
The Narcotics Crime Directorate (Dittipidnarkoba) of the National Police Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim Polri) has disclosed new facts regarding the distribution of the dinitrogen oxide or N2O gas product branded Whip Pink. Based on investigation, the illegal goods were not only sold to individual buyers but had also entered and targeted a number of night entertainment venues in the Jakarta area.
“The gas is served in rubber balloons and sold to patrons, and one venue’s management admitted to ordering around 10 cylinders of 6 kilogrammes per month,” said the Director of Narcotics Crime at Bareskrim Polri, Brigadier General Eko Hadi Santoso, in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday (28/7).
Furthermore, the police explained that the marketing strategy employed by the producer was notably aggressive. They had run a promotional campaign offering an attractive Buy 5 Get 1 Free deal. Beyond that, PT SSS as the producer also unlawfully and illegally displayed the logo and name of the major music festival Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) XV, which was held in Bali in 2023.
The unauthorised use of the logo drew a stern response in the form of a formal cease-and-desist letter from the DWP organisers. As a result of that legal pressure, the illegal promotional material was officially withdrawn or removed on 26 January 2026.
From a commercial standpoint, Eko explained that PT SSS applied a two-zone pricing scheme distinguishing between Jakarta and Bali, with a price difference of up to Rp150,000 per cylinder.
In the capital, the market prices of the product varied according to fill capacity, starting from Rp390,000 for the 580-gramme size, Rp530,000 for 640 grammes, Rp805,000 for 950 grammes, Rp1,100,000 for 1,320 grammes, up to Rp1,750,000 for the largest variant at 2,050 grammes. Daily transaction volume in the region was recorded as notably high, with average sales reaching 100 cylinders per day.
“The company’s gross turnover reached Rp2 billion to Rp5 billion per month,” he said.
The modus operandi used by PT SSS to attract customers involved a digital ordering mechanism. Prospective buyers were required to fill in an online purchase form via the WhatsApp messaging application, attaching key details such as a culinary business identity, a complete address, and the quantity of goods to be ordered. However, this administrative procedure was strongly indicated to be a mere cover.
“PT SSS never carried out any verification of that data whatsoever,” he said.
As a follow-up to the legal violations uncovered, Dittipidnarkoba Bareskrim Polri moved swiftly by naming two executives of the Whip Pink manufacturing plant, with the initials AH and JH, as official suspects. Both are accused of producing and distributing a pharmaceutical preparation in the form of N2O gas that was proven to violate applicable quality and safety standards.
For these unlawful acts, both suspects face severe criminal penalties under Article 435 of Law Number 17 of 2023 on Health, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 12 years.