The Trail of Kampung Bahari, Branded a Drug-Prone Area
The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) conducted another raid related to a drug case in Kampung Bahari on Thursday (13/8). BNN’s Director of Enforcement and Pursuit, Brigadier General Roy Hardy Siahaan, explained that the raid began with the pursuit of a drug boss with the initials MR. ‘Initially, we arrested this boss around Kampung Bahari, then we brought him inside for further investigation,’ Roy stated. The raid faced resistance from the suspected drug network, who fired firecrackers and fireworks at officers. The officers responded by firing tear gas. This is not the first time Kampung Bahari has been the target of a drug eradication operation. In November 2025, the BNN and the National Police raided Kampung Bahari twice in one week.
Kampung Bahari is located in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta. Although it is in the capital, there are no historical records or studies that truly recount the background of Kampung Bahari. However, a 2024 study outlines the origins of an area in Tanjung Priok called Kampung Muara Bahari. Based on this research, Kampung Bahari and Kampung Muara Bahari are two different but adjacent areas within the same Tanjung Priok sub-district in North Jakarta. A journal titled ‘Implementation of Special Policies by the North Jakarta Metro Police and BNN towards Kampung Muara Bahari’ mentions that the area was originally a swamp that turned into illegal buildings and a densely populated settlement. Kampung Muara Bahari is said to be home to many fishermen. At that time, drugs were used to maintain stamina due to extreme work demands. Over time, drugs became a traded commodity because they were considered to bring multiple profits and were more time- and energy-efficient. It is said that this habit was further perpetuated by marriages among the descendants of drug lords and parental orders for children to become drug couriers.
A different study, titled ‘Social Resilience of Communities in Drug-Prone Areas: A Case Study of Kampung Muara Bahari, Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta’ (2021), highlights the location factor. Kampung Muara Bahari’s location is increasingly vulnerable because it is close to the station, terminal, and Tanjung Priok port, and is passed by the Soekarno-Hatta Airport toll road access. Kampung Muara Bahari is also included as a drug-prone and vulnerable area. This status is based on the Technical Guidelines for the Recovery Index of Drug-Prone Areas in Indonesia published by the BNN in 2019. Various intervention programmes have been implemented in the area by the government, security forces, the private sector, and communities. In 2021, the police attempted to transform Kampung Bahari into a Drug-Free Resilient Village. In 2025, the BNN also launched the ‘Kampung Harapan Bersinar’ (Clean from Drugs) Recovery Programme for the Kampung Muara Bahari community. This programme was established as a comprehensive and sustainable drug prevention effort.