Family of Crew Member in 2-Ton Drug Smuggling Case in Batam Appeals to DPR Commission III

DPR Commission III held a public hearing with the family and legal representatives of Fandi Ramadhan, the defendant in the 2-ton methamphetamine smuggling case in Batam, Riau Islands. During the hearing, Fandi’s mother, Nirwana, pleaded for assistance in ensuring her son receives a fair trial.

Nirwana explained that her son initially worked on a ship. She stated that Fandi applied for a job on a cargo ship and subsequently arrived in Thailand.

“Upon arriving in Thailand, he was accommodated in a hotel and waited there. My son asked, ‘Why aren’t we boarding the ship, Captain?’ The captain replied that they were waiting for the cargo ship they had been offered,” Nirwana said during the hearing at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday (February 26, 2026).

Fandi then inquired about the ship. However, it turned out that the ship was not yet ready. Fandi was then instructed to board a tanker carrying oil.

Nirwana admitted that she was unsure how the ship change occurred. She said that Fandi simply followed instructions.

“After about three days, I heard that my son had been arrested for carrying drugs. That’s why, as parents, we were shocked. How could he be carrying drugs? How could the ship turn into a tanker? He was promised a cargo ship, and his employment contract also stated a cargo ship,” she said.

“As a parent, I implore you to help me resolve my son’s problem. I ask for your assistance because I asked my son, and he said he was unaware of the contents. I asked, ‘How did he know?’ He only found out after the arrest that he was carrying drugs,” she added.

Nirwana said that Fandi had asked about the cargo on the ship. However, the captain replied that the cargo was money and gold.

“He went to the captain and asked, ‘Captain, what is this cargo? Let’s check it out, maybe it’s a bomb.’ The captain said, ‘No, it’s money and gold.’ My son then asked, ‘If it’s money and gold, Captain, why is it stored in the hold?’ I don’t know what the hold is. ‘It’s okay, it’s safer there,’ the captain said,” she explained.

During the hearing, Fandi’s lawyer, Hotman Paris Hutapea, stated that the testimony regarding Fandi’s question to the captain was acknowledged in court. Hotman then questioned the reason for Fandi’s detention.

“During the trial, both the captain and his deputy, Pak Tambunan, admitted that the boy had asked, ‘What is this?’ However, during the trial, the captain suddenly claimed that he knew the contents were gold and money,” Hotman said.

“So, how is it possible that he didn’t know that it was worth Rp 4 trillion? Rp 4 trillion is a significant amount. Perhaps there is more to the story,” he added.

Hotman said he was confused as to why Fandi was being sentenced to death when there was no evidence that he knew about the cargo. Hotman hopes that DPR Commission III can request information from the public prosecutor.

“The problem is, why is he being sentenced to death when there is no evidence that he knew what was inside? He had only been working on the ship for three days as an unemployed person. This is something that Commission III should ask the investigators and prosecutors,” he said.