BNN Proposes Rp 5.05 Trillion Budget Hike for Etomidate Rapid Tests and Advocacy

The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has proposed an additional budget of Rp 5.05 trillion for 2027. The BNN currently has an indicative ceiling of Rp 1,447,069,580,000 (Rp 1.4 trillion). “To support the Asta Cita and the President’s priority programmes, BNN is proposing an additional budget for 2027 of Rp 5.05 trillion, consisting of foreign loans or financing of Rp 3.54 trillion and pure rupiah of Rp 1.51 trillion,” said BNN Head Suyudi Ario Seto during a working meeting with Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (17/6/2026). Suyudi stated that if the proposal is realised, the BNN’s budget for 2027 would become Rp 6.49 trillion. He said that Rp 157.35 billion would be allocated for advocacy for drug-free family resilience, drug-free village advocacy, the formation of peer teenagers, dissemination of information on drug abuse prevention, and integration of anti-narcotics curricula. “Secondly, the community empowerment sector will receive Rp 112.77 billion, among other things for developing community potential in areas vulnerable to illicit crops, developing community potential in areas vulnerable to illicit narcotics trafficking, empowering stakeholders in educational institutions, empowering stakeholders in agencies or workplaces, and early detection of narcotics abuse,” he stated. The agency plans to implement a Grand Design Alternative Development (GDAD) in areas vulnerable to illicit crops through life skills training. Suyudi gave the example of training for communities in Aceh who plant cannabis to become coffee farmers. “The community is empowered to cultivate sustainable alternative commodities that have economic added value. For instance, in Aceh, people who previously planted or cultivated cannabis are trained to become more productive and income-earning coffee farmers,” he revealed. The budget allocation is also intended for narcotics eradication amounting to Rp 579.27 billion. The agency is emphasising the investigation and prosecution of narcotics crimes, psychotropic substances, money laundering (TPPU) resulting from narcotics crimes, as well as operations to arrest fugitives (DPO) and operation targets (TO) of narcotics crimes. The BNN also plans to procure rapid test kits and urine tests specifically for the substance etomidate. According to him, the agency currently does not possess such tools. “We are also faced with the emergence of substance trends such as etomidate, which is currently rampant or experiencing a significant increase in society. Therefore, budget support is urgently needed and will later be utilised for the procurement of rapid test kits and urine tests specifically for etomidate,” he explained. He said the BNN does not have detection tools for etomidate. Suyudi stated that the absence of these tools hampers the agency in carrying out enforcement actions. “This detection tool is very necessary for us to conduct enforcement in the field, while currently the BNN does not possess it at all. Under current conditions, if there is a finding suspected to be etomidate, we can indeed bring it to the BNN Narcotics Laboratory Centre. However, such testing is only limited to identifying the substance content in the physical evidence,” said Suyudi. “It is not for detecting the content in the user’s urine, which would take time. The absence of a rapid test for etomidate will certainly hinder our speed in taking action, accurately confirming the user’s status, and making quick rescue decisions in the field,” he added.