Joint Operation Thwarts Smuggling of 800kg of Ketamine in Anambas
The smuggling of 800 kilograms of ketamine in the waters of Anambas, Riau Islands (Kepri), has been thwarted by a joint task force consisting of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Indonesian National Police (Bareskrim Polri), the National Narcotics Board (BNN), Customs, and the Riau Islands Regional Police. During the operation, authorities detained one Taiwanese national.
The Director of Narcotics Crimes of Bareskrim Polri, Brigadier General Eko Hadi Santoso, explained that this discovery was an extension of the investigation into the MV King Sun, which was carrying 1.3 tonnes of ketamine in the Riau Islands some time ago. Bareskrim Polri and the BNN conducted an in-depth investigation and suspected the existence of another vessel following a similar pattern used for drug trafficking.
The vessel was identified as the Fuchangxing 1, a general cargo ship flying the flag of Comoros with IMO number 8921705. Through monitoring via the Automatic Identification System (AIS), authorities detected a suspicious profile and movement pattern.
Monitoring revealed anomalous movements of the Fuchangxing 1; on 13 August 2026, the ship deactivated its AIS, and on 19 August 2026, it was identified performing ship-to-ship activities with the MT Ashley, flying the Mongolian flag, in Vietnamese waters.
“Based on these findings, the Directorate of Narcotics Crimes of Bareskrim Polri, the BND, and the Directorate General of Customs conducted a coordination meeting to devise a joint operation plan to intercept both vessels,” stated Brigadier General Eko Hadi in a statement on Wednesday (2/9/2026).
Subsequently, on Friday (21/8/2026) at approximately 21:30 WIB, the Joint Operation Task Force—comprising elements of the BNN, Bareskrim Polri, Customs, and the Riau Islands Regional Police—deployed via vessel BC 30005 from Pier 99 to the interception point to pursue the Fuchangxing 1.
10 Crew Members Detained
The joint task force successfully intercepted the Fuchangxing 1 the following day, Saturday (22/8), in the Anambas waters. During the operation, officers detained 10 crew members.
“We successfully secured ten crew members, consisting of nine Myanmar nationals and one Taiwanese national. The Fuchansing 1 and its crew were escorted to the Batam Customs Pier,” he added.
On the following Monday (24/8), the Fuchangxing 1, escorted by vessel BC 30005, arrived in the northern waters of Lagoi. The escort was reinforced by vessel BC 20009 and two fast patrol boats from the Riau Islands Regional Police towards the Batam Customs Pier. Following the interrogation of the crew and a thorough search of all compartments on the Fuchangxing 1, officers discovered 800 kilograms of ketamine hidden in the steering room.
“The Joint Operation Task Force successfully found 40 sacks containing 800 packages of 1kg each, hidden in the steering room at the stern of the ship. Laboratory testing of the 800 packages confirmed they were positive for ketamine HCl,” he explained.
Brigadier General Eko Hadi stated that in addition to the 800kg of ketamine, officers also seized the Fuchangxing 1, three communication devices, and three other pieces of ship equipment.
“In addition to the seizure of evidence, investigators from the Narcotics Crimes Directorate of Bareskrim Polri have named one suspect, Mr WLC (30), a Taiwanese national, who acted as the manager of the Fuchangxing 1 and the controller of the 800kg ketamine HCl shipment,” he noted.
The nine other crew members were questioned as witnesses. These witnesses were handed over to the Batam Port Authority and Controller’s Office for further investigation regarding violations of the Shipping Act.
“The Joint Operation Task Force has handed the witnesses over to Civil Servant Investigators at the Batam Port Authority to continue investigations into alleged maritime violations in accordance with Law Number 17 of 2008 concerning Shipping,” he continued.
Pursuit of the MT Ashley
Meanwhile, the joint forces also pursued the MT Ashley using vessel BC 30002 on Sunday (23/8) afternoon. After analysing the vessel’s movements, the Task Force successfully intercepted and boarded the MT Ashley in Natuna waters, securing six crew members, all of whom are Indonesian nationals.
The MT Ashley, escorted by vessel BC 30002, arrived in the Longsa waters and received reinforcement from KRI Pulau Rangsang-727 and KRI Todak-631 from the Indonesian Navy’s Koarmada I on Wednesday (26/8). Shortly after, vessel BC 20011, two fast boats (BC 1403 and BC 10022), and two Riau Islands Regional Police patrol boats joined the escort to the Batam Customs Pier.
Upon arrival at the Batam Customs Pier, a thorough search of the MT Ashley’s compartments was conducted, but the Joint Operation Task Force did not find any narcotics on the vessel.