East Kalimantan Police Dismantle Meth Lab in Balikpapan with Malaysian-Sourced Materials
The East Kalimantan Police Narcotics Directorate (Polda Kaltim) has dismantled a home-based methamphetamine production operation in Balikpapan. During the operation, police seized two suspects along with production equipment and chemical raw materials. Director of the Narcotics Directorate, Kombes Romylus Tamtelahitu, confirmed the two suspects had different roles. Suspect AS, a woman, acted as a dealer, while suspect OH, a male repeat offender, served as the drug chemist. “They were arrested at a hotel in South Balikpapan district after police received information about narcotics trafficking activity,” Romylus said on Friday, 29 May 2026. The arrest began with a raid at a hotel where officers found three packets of ready-to-sell meth weighing a total of 333.7 grams. This discovery led police to further investigations. Following interrogation, officers proceeded to OH’s residence in Prapatan, Balikpapan, where they discovered a converted home laboratory for drug production. “At the site, officers found a fully equipped home-based drug production lab with various equipment and chemicals,” Romylus said. Police highlighted the discovery of hundreds of grams of chemical liquids suspected to be the main ingredient for meth production. Initial checks indicated the materials were sourced from Malaysia. “The home-based meth production was operated as a limited-scale factory. We are still investigating the network and the origin of the raw materials used by the suspects,” Romylus stressed. As a firm measure, all seized ready-to-sell narcotics and chemical liquids were immediately destroyed using an incinerator vehicle, alongside evidence from other drug cases. The two suspects are currently held in Polda Kaltim’s detention cells pending legal proceedings. Police have charged them under Section 114(2) in conjunction with Section 132(1) of Law No. 35 of 2009 on Narcotics. “The suspects face the death penalty or life imprisonment,” Romylus concluded.