Polda Metro Jaya Reveals Three Major Crime Clusters in 2026

The Jakarta Metropolitan Police (Polda Metro Jaya) have dismantled three major crime clusters, including an international digital gambling network affiliated with the HOT51 application, disguised gambling operations masked as game arcades, and seized 17.45 tonnes of narcotics valued at IDR 1.007 trillion during the period from January to June 2026. Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Asep Edi Suheri stated that the firm crackdown and dismantling of these operations are a tangible manifestation of the institution’s commitment to supporting the government’s priority programmes and ensuring the success of the President of the Republic of Indonesia’s Asta Cita, aimed at strengthening legal and bureaucratic reform, as well as eradicating corruption and drugs in the country. “The eradication of online gambling is also a real part of our commitment to protecting the public from the social and economic impacts it causes. At Polda Metro Jaya, we implement this commitment through the Jaga Jakarta Plus programme: Jaga Warga, Jaga Lingkungan, Jaga Aturan, and Jaga Amanah,” Asep said during a press conference in Jakarta on Friday. He explained that in the first cluster, the police uncovered a case of digital gambling and pornography along with money laundering crimes through the HOT51 application. “In this case, officers secured eight individual suspects, named five corporations as suspects, and are pursuing one Chinese foreign national who is now on the Wanted List,” Asep stated. “The turnover included revenue from the gambling business at ‘Dissney Timezone’ amounting to IDR 900 million per month from December 2025 to June 2026, and ‘Sky Timezone’ worth IDR 1.2 billion per month from May to June 2026. For asset recovery, the police blocked 118 bank accounts and virtual accounts, and seized IDR 14.96 billion in cash along with corporate deed documents,” Asep detailed. In the second cluster, he described a case of gambling practices disguised as children’s skill game arenas in Penjaringan (North Jakarta) and Kalideres (West Jakarta). “A total of 69 people were named as suspects, consisting of three venue owners, 19 employees, and 47 players. From these locations, we seized IDR 1.31 billion in cash, 21.9 grams of gold, three safes, game coupons, and 139 gambling machines with an estimated monthly turnover reaching IDR 2.1 billion,” Asep said. The third cluster relates to drug enforcement from January to July 2026, where Polda Metro Jaya and its precincts uncovered 3,809 police reports and arrested 5,196 suspects. “The breakdown includes 19 producers, 1,914 dealers, and 3,263 users. Users who meet legal requirements are directed to medical and social rehabilitation mechanisms,” Asep revealed. According to him, this success also includes the dismantling of clandestine laboratories for etomidate, carisoprodol, and ecstasy, the foiling of large-scale methamphetamine and marijuana smuggling across regions, and the circulation of hard drugs. He stressed that his institution is not only taking action against street-level perpetrators but also pursuing the masterminds, cutting off financial flows, and conducting money laundering investigations related to narcotics crimes to paralyse the financial power of the networks. “Polda Metro Jaya has also established 32 Anti-Drug Resilient Village posts in vulnerable areas of Jakarta,” Asep added. The police appealed to the public not to be tempted by instant profits from gambling, not to lend their identities for opening bank accounts, to refuse to become nominee directors of fictitious companies, and to actively report suspicious activities through the police hotline 110.