Indonesian authorities have busted a group of would-be meth smugglers aboard a small landing ship in the Riau Islands, just opposite Singapore.
On July 13, Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency (BNN) discovered more than 100 kilos of methamphetamine aboard the small landing ship Legend Aquarius off Karimun in the Riau Islands. Three supernumeraries - all Indian nationals with Singaporean residency permits - were allegedly responsible for chartering the ship, bringing the drugs on board and concealing them during a call at a private port in Johor Bahru. The 10 members of the ship's Indonesian crew are not suspects in the investigation.
"These three people designed a special place to store drugs hidden on the ship's deck and placed them in a fuel container," BNN chief Marthinus Hukom told reporters on Wednesday.
The BNN released a video of the arrest to the Straits Times, and it shows the three suspects were zip-tied and compelled to help the boarding team uncover and inventory the consignment of drugs. On Wednesday, the three Indian nationals were displayed at a press conference in orange jumpsuits and handcuffs, along with a tabletop covered by the narcotics. If they are convicted on smuggling charges, Indonesian law provides severe penalties, up to and including death by firing squad for the most extreme cases.
According to the Deccan Herald, the three suspects are all marine engineers with academic credentials, and had resided in Singapore for at least six years.
The vessel's ultimate destination was in Australia, the world's leading market for methamphetamine (per capita, based on wastewater analysis).
Legend Aquarius is a 600 dwt landing ship flagged and operated in Singapore. It typically carries containerized cargo to small ports in Southeast Asia, and has a clean inspection record.
