National Police Criminal Investigation Unit Raids Etomidate Vape Factory in East Jakarta, Ride-Hailing Driver Deceived into Acting as Courier
The Narcotics Crime Directorate of the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim Polri) dismantled a clandestine vape laboratory containing the substance etomidate in East Jakarta. A controlling suspect who used ride-hailing drivers as couriers was arrested during the operation.
Director of Narcotics Crimes at Bareskrim Polri, Brigadier General Eko Hadi Santoso, stated that the discovery began with information from an online motorcycle taxi driver who grew suspicious of the contents of a package he was to deliver to an address.
“Feeling suspicious about the package he was to deliver, the individual came to Bareskrim Polri,” said Brigadier General Eko Hadi in his statement to reporters on Thursday (16/4/2026).
Officers then conducted an X-ray examination of the package, confirming it contained narcotics. The officers took the find and handed it over to Subdirectorate IV of the Narcotics Crime Directorate at Bareskrim Polri for further action.
“After checks and examinations by Subdirectorate IV personnel, 13 black cartridges with the ‘MAFIA’ logo suspected to contain etomidate liquid and one clear packet suspected to contain methamphetamine were found,” he said.
Exploiting Ride-Hailing Drivers
The find was followed up by a joint team from Subdirectorate IV of the Narcotics Crime Directorate at Bareskrim Polri, led by Commissioner Handik Zusen, and the NIC Task Force of the Narcotics Crime Directorate at Bareskrim Polri, led by Commissioner Kevin Leleury, who conducted a controlled delivery and disguised themselves as ride-hailing drivers. As per the delivery, the package was taken to Danau Cavalio, Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta.
“Upon arrival near the Danau Cavalio location, the Subdirectorate IV team communicated with the sender of the package, who stated that a relative would pick it up,” he added.
After waiting a short while, the perpetrator apparently used a ride-hailing driver to receive the order. The ride-hailing driver with initials R was then interrogated and admitted to receiving an order to deliver a package to a hotel on Jl Utan Kayu, Matraman, East Jakarta.
“Not long after, a witness with initials PP arrived to collect the package, who had been instructed by suspect Ananda Wiratama,” he said.
The team then conducted a search and arrested suspect Ananda Wiratama at a rented house on Jalan Kayu Manis, Matraman, East Jakarta, in the early hours of Tuesday (14/4). The suspect confessed to having sent etomidate vape packages 37 times on the orders of Frendy Dona (a fugitive) at a Jakarta apartment.
From the examination of the rented house of suspect Ananda, evidence including suspected methamphetamine weighing 163.03 grams gross, cannabis weighing 60.44 grams gross, and 21 cartridges suspected to contain etomidate was obtained.
The team then proceeded to an apartment in Pulogadung, East Jakarta, but suspect Frendy was not present in the unit at that time. The team only found a witness with initials SM.
During the search of the apartment in East Jakarta, the team found 0.7 grams of methamphetamine, 25 empty ‘Mafia’ brand cartridges, 34 empty ‘Stone Island’ brand cartridges, 3 empty unmarked cartridges, 2 pressing devices, a digital scale, 117 ‘Mafia’ brand vape packets, 88 ‘Yakuza’ brand vape packets, 19 ‘Three’ brand vape packets, 1 ‘Supreme’ brand vape packet, and various other branded vapes.