Tears of Fandi Ramadhan: Ship's Crew Member Seeks Justice in 2-Tonne Methamphetamine Case
Batam – On Wednesday afternoon (25 February), the courtroom of Batam District Court in Riau Islands was packed with dozens of observers witnessing Fandi Ramadhan (25), a crew member of the ship Sea Dragon Terawan carrying nearly 2 tonnes of methamphetamine, deliver his defence plea against the death sentence charge brought against him.
Fandi began reading his defence statement, written on a piece of paper, after the panel of judges at Batam District Court, chaired by Judge Tiwik, permitted him to present his defence.
The young man from Medan, North Sumatra, attempted to stand and began with greetings and respect directed towards the bench of judges and the public prosecutor. However, the bitterness of the legal case that had thrown him behind bars made it impossible for him to control his emotions.
His voice grew heavy and his sobs broke as he read his defence, pleading for justice so as not to face a death sentence over a legal incident he had no control over and no power to prevent, given his status as merely an engine room crew member.
In his brief defence statement, Fandi coherently recounted his background and his family, who came from a struggling fishing family. With tears he could not contain, he falteringly read out his innermost thoughts.
He was the eldest of six siblings who were the sole support of his parents, who lived in poverty. His father, a fisherman, had worked hard to finance his education through higher education.
Fandi studied at the Malahayati Maritime Polytechnic (Poltekpel) in Aceh, with his modest capital being a wooden house with a leaking roof in the coastal area of Medan, mortgaged by his mother and father.
During his higher education, Fandi had to struggle to survive by selling fried rice from door to door in the dormitory.
After graduating in 2022 with his maritime diploma, he tried his luck registering to work as a crew member on an international ship. His intention was singular: to change his family’s impoverished circumstances.
After receiving information about an opportunity to work at sea abroad, Fandi submitted his required maritime documents and explained his situation to the maritime labour recruitment agent.
When registering to work as a crew member on the Ship Sea Dragon Terawa, Fandi was assisted by his father and mother in preparing documents to be delivered to Captain Hasiholan Samosir’s house. At that time, he did not receive any explanation that the ship would be transporting illegal cargo (narcotics).
With the hopes of his parents and younger siblings, Fandi applied for the job and was eventually accepted. The job required him to travel abroad.
The disaster struck on 14 May 2025, when he loaded cargo onto the Ship Sea Dragon Terawa, which was sailing to Phuket, Thailand, alongside five other crew members: Richard Halomoan, Lea Candra Samosir, Hasiholan Samosir, and two Thai nationals, Teerapong Lekpradube and Weerepat Phongwan.