Malaysian Network Drug Dealer Arrested, Narcotics Camouflaged as Indian Rice

The Jakarta Metropolitan Police’s Narcotics Directorate has thwarted the distribution of etomidate and ecstasy in the Paseban area, Central Jakarta. Police revealed the illicit goods were camouflaged as Indian basmati rice. The Head of Sub-Directorate 2 of the Narcotics Directorate, AKBP Triyatno Pamungkas, stated the case was uncovered on Saturday, 20 June, at 12.40 WIB. Officers arrested two men, identified by the initials T (26) and Y (29), in a boarding house in the Paseban area. ‘We have successfully uncovered a drug trafficking case involving 94 units of etomidate and 102 ecstasy pills at a boarding house in the Paseban area, Central Jakarta,’ Triyatno said in a statement on Thursday, 25 June 2026. The arrests stemmed from public information regarding narcotics activity at the location. Officers then expanded their investigation to an apartment in the Tanah Abang area, Central Jakarta. At the second location, police found two more ecstasy pills believed to be linked to the same distribution network. Preliminary investigations indicate the perpetrators are part of a Malaysian syndicate. ‘The suspects’ modus operandi was to send the drugs via an expedition service from Medan to Jakarta, disguised within Indian rice. We have received information that the perpetrators are connected to a Malaysian network,’ he explained. The suspects and evidence are currently being held at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Headquarters. The police are continuing their investigation to further develop the case.