Indonesia seizes 2.6 tons meth from Tanzanian ship, detains 10 crew

Indonesian authorities have seized approximately 2.6 tons of liquid methamphetamine from a Tanzanian-flagged vessel and detained 10 crew members in a major operation off the coast of Sumatra, marking one of the country's largest drug busts this year. The interception occurred late Monday near Bengkalis in Riau province, after officials received intelligence about a ship transporting narcotics from Malaysia.

The operation was conducted by a joint task force comprising Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency, customs officials, and police. Officials stated that the vessel, identified as the MV Ocean Porter, was sailing under a false name, the MV Rain Maker, to evade detection. It had been traveling from Sarawak, Malaysia, through the Andaman Sea toward Indonesian waters. After being intercepted, the ship was towed to a customs operations base in the Riau Islands for inspection.

During the search, investigators discovered the liquid methamphetamine hidden inside eight drums and the vessel's water tanks. The narcotics agency official, Roy Hardi Siahaan, described the seizure as a significant blow to international trafficking networks. In addition to the drugs, authorities also found...