Customs: 3.37-Tonne Cannabis Warehouse Busted After X-Ray Anomaly at Tanjung Priok
The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) together with the Directorate General of Customs and Excise have uncovered a smuggling network for 3.37 tonnes of cannabis buds in a warehouse area in Gresik Regency, East Java. The network operated through Malaysia, China, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Director General of Customs and Excise, Djaka Budhi Utama, stated that the smuggling was revealed following an anomaly at Tanjung Priok Port, where an X-ray inspection identified suspicious commodities. Customs immediately inspected the goods and, suspecting narcotics, coordinated closely with the BNN to conduct a controlled delivery operation to Gresik.
Djaka noted that intercepting the shipment solely at the port would not have yielded further results. The joint operation involved personnel from Customs and the BNN tracking the shipment from Tanjung Priok Port to the warehouse in Gresik, East Java, ultimately securing 3.37 tonnes of narcotics transported in four containers.
BNN Chief Commissioner General Suyudi Ario Seto explained that the operation took place from 29 June to 1 July 2026 across several areas, including DKI Jakarta, Tangerang, Purwakarta, Surabaya, and Gresik. The investigation began with information received by a joint team on 29 June 2026 regarding a suspicious container from Thailand that had arrived at Tanjung Priok Port.
Upon inspection, the team found suitcases and latex cardboard boxes containing plastic packages lined with tin. The contents were identified as cannabis flowers and stems suspected of being smuggled from Thailand. The BNN conducted further analysis using information technology, documents, and other leads pointing to a similar container shipment destined for Gresik Regency.
During the operation, officers seized four trucks along with evidence stored in 500 suitcases and dozens of latex cardboard boxes. The BNN detailed that the 500 suitcases each contained six packages of narcotics weighing approximately 535 grammes per package, totalling around 1.605 tonnes gross. The narcotics packed in 80 latex cardboard bales comprised around 3,200 packages with a gross weight of approximately 1.766 tonnes. The total evidence secured amounted to approximately 3,371,400 grammes, or 3.37 tonnes gross.
In addition to seizing the evidence, the joint team arrested 12 individuals suspected of being part of the international syndicate. They include a transport service entrepreneur, company managers, truck drivers, a port official, and a Chinese foreign national suspected of owning the warehouse in Gresik.