• Indonesia's navy seized a ship with nearly two tons of narcotics worth $426 million off Sumatra.
• Five crew members, including a Thai national and four from Myanmar, were arrested.
• The seizure involved approximately 1.2 tons of cocaine and 705 kilograms of methamphetamine.

Indonesia's navy recently seized a ship carrying almost two tons of methamphetamine and cocaine valued at approximately $425 million in the Tanjung Balai Karimun region, Riau Islands. This operation led to the arrest of a Thai national and four Myanmar nationals aboard the vessel, as the crew attempted to evade capture by shutting off their lights and speeding away, according to TRT Global and Reuters.

Officers recovered nearly 100 sacks filled with about 1.2 tons of cocaine and 705 kilograms of methamphetamine, valued at around 7 trillion rupiah (approximately $425.92 million). The ship, registered under the Thai flag, was subsequently escorted to a navy base in Tanjung Balai Karimun, while reasons for the drug shipment are still under investigation, as stated by Indonesian navy spokesperson I Made Wira Hady Arsanta Wardhana, according to The Jakarta Post and Reuters.

Indonesia has among the strictest anti-narcotics laws globally, severely punishing drug trafficking, which can carry the death penalty. This cocaine haul is one of the largest recorded in the country, echoing the recent trend of increasing drug seizures in the region. In 2023, a record 190 tons of methamphetamine was seized throughout East and Southeast Asia, largely trafficked by organized crime groups exploiting vulnerable law enforcement conditions, according to TRT Global and The Jakarta Post.

The Golden Triangle, encompassing parts of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos, remains a notorious origin for illicit narcotics, serving criminal syndicates that extend their reach to markets as far as Japan and New Zealand. The previous record for cocaine seized in Indonesia was 179 kg found near Merak in 2022, noted in a global drug report by the United Nations, according to The Jakarta Post and Reuters.