Narcotics Worth Rp97.8 Billion Seized from International Network

The Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police (Polresta) have successfully thwarted the smuggling of 8.6 litres of liquid etomidate, a Class II narcotic, valued at Rp97.8 billion. The evidence was seized from an international drug network over the past five months. Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police Chief, Senior Commissioner Wisnu Wardana, revealed that the disclosure resulted from three different cases occurring between February and May 2026. From these operations, police arrested four foreign national suspects acting as couriers. “The total evidence we secured amounts to 8,600 millilitres or 8.6 litres of etomidate liquid, with an economic value reaching approximately Rp97.8 billion,” Wisnu stated in Tangerang on Monday. The four arrested suspects have the initials TN (Singapore), CT (Malaysia), JZ (China), and SP (Thailand). They were reportedly paid between Rp42 million and Rp132.5 million to smuggle the illicit goods into Indonesia. The Head of the Narcotics Unit at Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police, AKP Michael Kharisma Tandayu, detailed the three major cases. The perpetrators’ modus operandi involved disguising the etomidate liquid in bottles packaged as everyday products such as soap and coconut oil. Police are currently pursuing three other individuals who have been placed on the wanted list, identified as DN, HC, and SS. Wisnu emphasised that this success was the result of synergy between the National Police’s Narcotics Investigation Unit and Customs. “This disclosure has the potential to save approximately 55,928 lives from narcotics abuse,” he concluded.