Indonesia seizes 2.6 tonnes of liquid meth from Tanzanian-flagged ship in record drug bust

Indonesia has made history with its largest drug bust to date, seizing 2.6 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine concealed on a Tanzanian-flagged ship, according to a senior narcotics official. Ten crew members, all Myanmar nationals, have been arrested following the operation. The National Narcotics Agency disclosed the enormous haul in a statement released on Tuesday.

Intelligence led the agency to believe that a vessel en route from Sarawak, Malaysia, through the Andaman Sea might be carrying narcotics to Indonesia. In a joint effort with customs officials, the agency intercepted the MV Rain Maker, sailing under a fraudulent name, near Bengkalis in Riau province. The inspection of the vessel revealed the substantial quantity of liquid meth stored in eight water barrels and a water tank.

Sniffer dogs also discovered over 1.5 million illegal cigarettes on board. The agency emphasized that this was not the only recent drug seizure involving a vessel of Tanzanian origin in the region; on August 8, they intercepted another ship in waters surrounding the Riau Islands near Singapore, seizing 1.3 tonnes of ketamine and arresting eight crew members, seven from Myanmar and one from Taiwan.

Despite maintaining some of the world's strictest anti-drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers, Indonesia has placed a moratorium on executions for several years.