Three Police Officers Killed in Central Kalimantan Drug Raid, Prabowo: We Must Stop Narcotics

President Prabowo Subianto has expressed his condolences following the death of three police officers during a drug enforcement operation in Katingan Regency, Central Kalimantan. Speaking at the launch of the B50 mandatory biodiesel programme in Karawang, West Java, on Thursday, Prabowo said the officers died whilst conducting a clean-up operation in a village in Kalimantan. He stated that the government would continue to crack down on corruption, smuggling, narcotics, and online gambling, noting that online gambling had reportedly declined significantly over the past year. The three officers from the Katingan Police narcotics unit were killed during an operation in Tumbang Kalemei village. The victims were identified as First Inspector (Posthumous) Sumariyanto, Chief Brigadier (Posthumous) Yudhie Perdana Putra, and Brigadier (Posthumous) Nopandri Ramadhana. The incident began on Wednesday after the unit received a tip-off about suspected methamphetamine distribution in the village. Investigations led to a suspect, identified by the initials BIO, a repeat drug offender. When the team arrived in the early hours of Thursday to make the arrest, they were met with violent resistance using sharp weapons. Despite firing warning shots, the attack continued, forcing the officers to take measured action to protect themselves. The situation escalated when the suspect’s family and several villagers allegedly joined the assault, attacking the officers with sharp weapons, homemade firearms, and other dangerous objects. The narcotics team attempted to withdraw and called for reinforcements from the Katingan police and the local sector police.