Singaporean National Operates Home-Based Narcotic Vape Factory in Medan
The Medan City Police Narcotics Unit has dismantled a home industry producing vape liquid containing narcotics, packaged with Labubu doll images. The operation was managed by a Singaporean national, identified by the initials TM, and his Indonesian girlfriend, MWQ, from a luxury boarding house on Jalan Flores, Medan Perjuangan District. They were arrested on Monday, 17 May 2026, while an accomplice identified as R remains at large.
“MWQ’s role was to cook and process the materials. She would place the vape products at the reception desk of the boarding house. Marketing was controlled by TM and R, who we are still pursuing,” said Medan Police Narcotics Unit Head, Commissioner Rafli Yusuf Nugraha, during a press conference on Thursday, 11 June.
According to Rafli, TM and MWQ met through a dating application in 2025. TM initially gave MWQ a narcotic vape to try. From there, the pair became involved in the illicit vape distribution business in Indonesia. “Initially, the girlfriend was given a narcotic vape to try. At that time, there may not have been specific laws regulating vapes. In 2025, TM brought in the illegal substance, she became addicted, and they decided to distribute it in Indonesia,” he explained.
Police revealed the couple then set up a home industry at their residence. Raw materials were imported from abroad using well-known international courier services before being processed and packaged for distribution in Medan and surrounding areas. “They used a well-known international courier. These are the raw or ready-to-process materials, green and orange in colour. Once the product was finished, they distributed it in Medan,” he stated.
The production site was chosen for its multi-layered security system. Access to the boarding house required passing through several stages, including face recognition, fingerprint scanning, and a password. “To enter the boarding house, there were three access points, starting with face recognition. Once inside, all networks were down. Access to the room required a fingerprint, at minimum a password. There was no signal, and the rent for this luxury boarding house was between Rp5 and Rp7 million per month,” he said.
Regarding the use of the Labubu brand on the packaging, police suspect it was a marketing strategy devised by the suspects themselves, though the exact motive is still under investigation. During the raid, officers discovered raw materials, production equipment, Labubu-branded packaging, and other evidence used to support production activities.
In addition to seizing production equipment, police confiscated raw materials stored in a safe and suitcase at the location. TM was arrested at a hotel in Medan while allegedly attempting to resupply raw materials for the next production cycle. To run their illegal business, the suspects used digital cryptocurrency transactions, including Bitcoin, to disguise the flow of funds and avoid detection. “They used crypto or Bitcoin transactions to deceive officers. However, we were still able to uncover this network,” Rafli said.
Based on preliminary investigations, police estimate the suspects’ profits since 2025 have reached approximately Rp10 billion. Investigators are currently pursuing the suspect identified as R and exploring the possibility of other networks involved in the production and distribution of the narcotic vape liquid.