Five Police Drug Cases: Teddy Minahasa to AKP Arifan Toraja Utara
JAKARTA — Police officers have repeatedly been ensnared in drug cases. The following are five notable cases of police personnel involved in narcotics offences.
“Violations by police officers will never completely cease; what is possible is to reduce the number of violations,” said Sugeng Teguh Santoso, Chairman of Indonesia Police Watch (IPW), in an interview with Kompas.com on Thursday (12 March 2026).
The police institution must not normalise such violations. Strict sanctions including dismissal without honour and criminal prosecution represent the best course of action at present.
According to Sugeng, drug cases in particular share a common motive: greed.
Based on Kompas.com’s records, five cases of police officers involved in drug offences have emerged in recent times, ranging from selling narcotics evidence, serving as couriers, to protecting drug traffickers.
This case came to light in late 2022, stemming from the arrest of a drug dealer who was subsequently found to have connections to police involvement. In this case, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo intervened directly.
He informed the public that a Bripka (brigadier) and a Kompol (senior commissioner) serving as Chief of Bukittinggi Police, West Sumatra, were involved. Through case development, the involvement of Inspector General Teddy Minahasa was uncovered.
Metro Jaya Police, which investigated the case, revealed that Teddy Minahasa distributed methamphetamine weighing 5 kilogrammes. The methamphetamine was intended for Kampung Bahari, a district infamous as a drug village in Jakarta.
Of the 5 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, only 1.7 kilogrammes was distributed to Kampung Bahari, whilst 3.3 kilogrammes of methamphetamine was seized by police.
“We have secured 3.3 kilogrammes of evidence and 1.7 kilogrammes of methamphetamine was distributed in Kampung Bahari,” said Kombes Mukti Juharsa, Director of Narcotics Investigation of Metro Jaya Police.
The 5 kilogrammes of methamphetamine distributed was evidence resulting from a narcotics case uncovered at Bukittinggi Police Headquarters.
The methamphetamine was allegedly taken covertly by a member of West Sumatra Police AKBP D and replaced with alum.
The sentence handed down was lighter than the demand by the Public Prosecutor who sought the death sentence for this two-star general.
After the verdict, Teddy attempted to challenge it by filing an appeal and subsequently a cassation, but his sentence remained unchanged until the court decision became final and binding.
Whilst Teddy Minahasa sold narcotics evidence, AKP Andri Gustami instead directly became a courier for drug trafficker Fredy Pratama.